Blackbirds
by Evawn
Summary: The light illuminated her hair as if she wore a halo. All sunshine and wildflowers. What the hell did he get himself into? She was burning him up from the inside-out. Instead of a halo, maybe she wore a crown of fire and he was the one who struck the first match. Bethyl, with a start at the quarry and time on the farm.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

She lay on her back, fully clothed, floating in the crystal clear water. The gentle, sparkling waves caused by the slow-moving current earned a small smile from the girl as she floated along. It seemed as if the small lake hadn't even been touched by the current goings-on in the world and for that she was grateful. Sighing softly, she closed her eyes and listened to the natural sounds around her as the water softly slapped against the quarry walls and the tiny blackbirds sang overhead as they flew away from the direction of the city.

The night before was awful and she was sure that she was shirking what little responsibilities she had by being out in the lake. It was likely that she was supposed to be helping with the pack-up. Their camp had been infiltrated and destroyed by the walking dead and she was sure that after all of the bodies had been buried or burned her assistance would be needed. But she didn't care. This was nice and also necessary.

She felt weightless. The world couldn't touch her here. She opened her eyes again taking in the clear blue sky above her, almost cursing herself for being so flippant about all that was happening. Amy, a girl shed'd become close with, was killed the night before and she had yet to shed a tear or even two. What was wrong with her?

Beth lifted her hands above her blocking out the brightness of the sun and she locked her eyes onto the pink, slightly raised line of healed flesh that now permanently scarred her wrist. Suddenly, her mood shifted and guilt started to ebb the edges of her mind.

She was still alive after taking her own life for granted. She was alive, still, after somehow managing to escape the dead-laden hospital she was in for recovery's sake over the last two months. Luck? Or did God decide to punish her by keeping her alive.

Sighing once more, Beth turned over and started to swim back over to the rocky shore. She didn't have much to pack up at the camp. All she had was a backpack she'd grabbed off of a corpse to shove peanut butter crackers, random medications, and Jello cups into as she left the hospital. The bag in question was on shore right next to her cowboy boots. She didn't trust to leave her bag laying around with those moody Dixon brothers, particularly Merle, trudging around the camp. But he hadn't made it back either.

She now sat on the rocky shore and stared at her bag, wishing she had clothes to change into. When she'd gotten into the water, she didn't spare a thought towards her dress becoming waterlogged. The blonde woman reached up, locking her hands around her wet hair, darkened by the water, to wring it out before securing it in one long braid on the side.

If she wanted, she could just leave. None would be the wiser. No one in the camp owed her anything and she didn't owe anything to any of them. Sure, they offered her camaraderie and she welcomed it. But not when they kept dying. Maybe she'd be better off if she were left alone to deal with her punishment. No, she needed to help. To redeem herself. Not only for her higher power but for herself.

Collecting her boots and her bag into her arms, she started her way back to camp, hoping that they hadn't left yet.

XXXX

Finding herself back at camp, Beth had come upon the scene of one family driving away from the group and the others prepared to travel to the CDC or Fort Benning. Rick and Shane, the group's new, self-appointed leaders were arguing on which was best.

What happened while she was gone?

"The hell you been? Gon' get blisters and catch your death. All wet and you ain't got shoes on, especially in these times," Beth heard as she stepped past Daryl Dixon's old beat-up truck. She glanced over at the younger Dixon brother. He was leaning against the tailgate of his blue truck, a cigarette between his fingers, eyes narrowed at her. Yes, he was talking to her, or at her.

Beth shrugged, looked back towards the lake, and commented lightly, "It ain't killed me yet." And she stopped her trek to the RV when Daryl snorted.

"Why are you still here?" Beth asked. She didn't mean to ask him this question, and she was sure that it hadn't even fully formulated in her mind before she spoke. She chanced a look at him to see him regarding her with a look of guarded contemplation, blue eyes still narrow. And she could see right through him. He didn't know. His brother had been in Atlanta and he'd made it out. What obligation did Daryl have to the group?

They stared at one another for at least thirty seconds before Daryl blinked. He took another drag from his cigarette before dropping the butt into the dirt and crushing it with his boot. He walked around to the door of his truck and opened it, getting in, their conversation forgotten.

Still standing there, feet bare, Beth looked towards the RV to see Dale, the RV's owner, and Glenn, a college student just a couple years her senior, leaning against the RV, their caps in hand looking towards the tree that Rick and Shane had moved to. She followed their stares quizzically.

Oh.

Rick was speaking to Jim, who rested against the tree. He'd been bitten in the chaos from the night before and he made the decision to stay at the campsite for one of the holes he'd dug, he dug for himself. It was sad, Beth thought. Jim was a nice guy. He didn't deserve this and neither did Amy.

"Why am I still here," Beth whispered to herself. She jumped slightly when she felt a light touch on her arm. She turned to see Lori Grimes smiling at her.

"We thought you left," Lori states, brown eyes curious as she took in Beth's mostly wet hair and clothing. Beth shook her head and gave Lori a small smile for reassurance. "I needed some peace," Beth offered and Lori nodded in understanding.

"We're goin' to the CDC to see if there's anythin' there. Beyond that, we don't know. Did you plan on stickin' with us or movin' on?" Lori questioned, eyes hopeful.

And almost as if it were the first time, Beth thought of her family. She grimaced. They were the ones who'd initially dropped her off at the hospital and she'd refused to see them though they traveled once a week those two months to visit with her. They were worried for her and hadn't been acting out of malice but she was selfish.

"You really think there's something at the CDC?" Beth asked in a quiet whisper.

"I don't know. Rick seems pretty sure about it and I'm willin' to take that gamble. It's up to everyone here if they want to do the same. You're more than welcome to come with us if you'd like," Lori offered placing a gentle hand onto Beth's shoulder. The blonde girl watched as Mrs. Grimes walked back over to her family's car.

A loud rumble started up beside her, and she nearly flinched, almost expecting it. Daryl had started up his truck. She'd almost forgotten that he was there. He was leaning against his steering wheel waiting for the call to start moving.

"Use your lights if you need somethin'!" Shane called out before the caravan started to pull away. Beth stood there, not knowing what to do. On one hand, the CDC might be promising but on the other, this whole mess may have even started there. And what of her family?

"Come on." This time, Beth did flinch. Blue-grey eyes wide, she stared at Daryl, bewildered.

"Once I start movin', I ain't stoppin. Get in or don't," Daryl spoke, almost muttering. In that split-second Beth fully realized what was happening. She rushed over to the rusty old passenger door of his to climb into the cab of the truck.

The floor of the pickup looked dirty; the small rug at her feet was stained with years worth of dirt, life. Beth didn't care as she curled her toes relishing in the soft fibers of the carpet. It felt a hell of a lot better than jagged quarry rocks.

When she felt the truck start moving, the blonde woman looked up, a small smile on her face.

"My daddy has a truck like this. It was supposed to be mine after my first year of college..."Beth trailed off and looked towards the blurring woods. Daryl wasn't responding or making any sort of indication that he was even listening. For some reason, this prompted her to continue. It was nice, just having someone there, other than her therapist, to listen, or not listen. Whatever. Amy was a sweet girl but she was the one who was always talking. And now she was dead. Beth knew that her words were probably just going straight out the window but she didn't care.

"He let me drive it to town a few times on my own. To visit the outdoor market or library but he didn't completely trust me with it. Probably because I'd driven it straight into the racin' tree on our property one night," Beth giggled sweetly at her memory, "The racin' tree was like a mile marker for us kids. We'd have wheelbarrow races with the neighbor kids to see who could make it there faster…They're all probably dead now."

Beth hummed and pushed her bag onto the floor, tucking her feet beneath it.

"Thank you, Daryl." Beth glanced up at him quickly to see if anything would register on the moody man's face. He was stoic as usual and probably irritated that she was running her mouth. That small smile was still on her face though and she leaned on her arm out the open window, face towards the wind, relaxed.

"Yeah." So he had been listening. Or maybe he just hoped she'd shut up.

"I don't think that we should go to the CDC."

Daryl cut his eyes towards the girl. If she noticed the quick swivel of his head, she didn't let on that she had.

"Ain't we almost there?" Daryl spoke, "Where the hell else we goin'?"

"Somewhere in the woods would be good. Away from everything. Somewhere quiet and off the grid?" Beth was still staring out the window as she wistfully mused the possibilities. She missed the farm. She missed her family.

Daryl stared ahead towards the other cars from their group. Damn it if this girl didn't make a bit of sense. He didn't think there'd be anything at the CDC either, if he were honest. He and Merle had stumbled upon the camp in the woods because they were trying to be off the grid and trying to reach higher ground.

Impulsively, he flashed his lights to signal the other cars. They all coasted to a stop. Fuck.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Daryl shifted his truck into park before getting out. He pulled a crushed cigarette box from his flannel pocket and lightly tapped the carton before pulling out a cigarette. He cupped his hands, lighting the cigarette before he moved toward the RV to wait for the cop friends to catch on that he'd been the one who stopped the traveling.

Daryl watched as Rick climbed out of his car first, looking around to gauge their surroundings before nodding toward his family and those in the RV. He turned to meet up with Daryl.

"What's goin' on, Dixon? Needta take a piss?" Shane asked, his hands on his hips. He'd gotten out of his vehicle when Rick did.

"We're out. Not goin' to the CDC," Daryl shrugged simply, directing a puff of smoke into Walsh's face like it were a natural thing to do.

"We?" Rick questioned, looking away to see who sat in the blue truck. He squinted his eyes before blinking in recognition at the girl who sat in the passenger seat.

"You and...Beth?"

"It ain't wise to go to the CDC. It prolly all started there in the first place. Safer to just go further into the brush than anythin' else."

"But… you and Beth, huh? Y'all make some sort of deal?" Shane spoke loudly, incredulously.

"The hell you insinuatin', Walsh?" Daryl flicked his still-lit cigarette toward the shorter man, his temper starting to rise. At the raised voices, other group members stepped out of the RV. Lori Grimes got out of her family car, no doubt telling Carol and the two kids to stay seated.

"You and that girl didn't share not two words with each other while we were back at the campsite and now you're just going to take her into the woods to do God-knows-what with her?" Shane's voice was rising to meet Daryl's angering facial expression.

"Shane, we need to keep it DOWN," Rick inserted then, holding his hands up toward his best friend. The thin man looked around to make sure that they hadn't stirred up any trouble with their noise.

"You don't need to talk to me about sneakin' off into the woods with nobody," Daryl bit out angrily. Yeah, he'd noticed Shane and Lori gallivanting off into the woods any time they could. That is, before Rick Grimes magically appeared after leaving his brother on a damn roof.

"Did Beth agree with this?" Lori came forward. Her arms were crossed and her thin eyebrows high.

"It was my idea."

They hadn't even heard her when she was walking up and this was made clear when they all visibly jumped after she announced her presence. Even Daryl, the hunter, had a bit of a start. This girl floated along like she was a ghost.

"You sure about that?" Shane muttered, his eyes still on Daryl, chest puffed out. Beth stood there, that stupid small smile still on her face, hair wispy from the wind in the car and probably all knotted up. She was looking at Lori, paying no mind to Shane.

"Didn't think ya'll would need a roof to leave someone be. Girl wants to ride with me so we're out." Daryl couldn't understand why it was so important for the girl to come with him. He was better being alone thanks to the years dealing with his father and Merle that gave him plenty of practice. And the girl talked too damn much. She could fight her own battles and hell, she could walk away from the whole thing if she wanted and they couldn't say a damn thing about it.

Maybe this was about him winning this stupid pissing contest with Walsh and it really didn't have anything to do with the girl. Yeah, that was probably it.

"We'll be fine," Beth spoke. She looked directly at Rick as she spoke reassuringly.

"Nah, I don't think you will be," Shane insisted, dark eyes angry, "You don't want to be messin' around with Dixon. Might get yourself a case of the clap."

But the only indication of any sort of "clap" was the sound of Beth's tiny fist hitting Shane Walsh square in the jaw.

"Well, shit,"Daryl muttered. He had flinched backward on reflex when Beth's arm had initially flown forward. Daryl looked over at the wiry girl to see that her face was red with anger. She'd punched Walsh before he, himself, could even react. He probably would've done the same damn thing.

"Okay, okay. Woah, now," Rick spoke now pushing Shane away from Daryl, Beth, and Lori. Lori wore a look of shock and concern, her mouth open but nothing to say. Good. Rick and Shane were mumbling back and forth and it seemed like Rick was playing the good cop.

"Ah, damn," Beth whispered. She was looking at her hand unaware that she was the focus of all the stares. It was bleeding a little bit. More than likely caused by the force of her punch, long fingernails, and Walsh's jaw.

"I say let her go," T-Dog spoke up from his position next to Dale's RV. He shrugged his shoulders, "Beth ain't my child and she ain't none of ya'lls either. Seems like a grown ass woman to me."

"I'm inclined to agree," Dale added with a gentle nod in Beth's direction. He went back up into the RV. The slamming of a car door could be heard causing everyone to look around wildly and tighten their hands around whatever weapons they held. Rick was walking back to the group and Walsh was now stewing in his car.

"What's the plan for you two?" Rick inquired. He rubbed his hand down his face, really unsure of what to say or do. He didn't really know these people at all. Daryl was an erratic, redneck asshole but he wasn't stupid. And he wasn't a complete bad guy. He learned this from their brief trip to Atlanta with Glenn.

But he and Beth teaming up? The girl seemed a little naïve but Rick could see that it was just her appearance that made everyone think that way. She was a small girl with big blue doe eyes and curly blonde hair, making her appear child-like and carefree. Yes, he was sure that they'd all been underestimating her, especially now that she'd gone and knocked Shane back by a few pegs.

Beth looked up and over to Daryl, who shrugged. He was beginning to get annoyed at the situation.

"My family's farm. They don't live too far from here. It's pretty much in the middle of nowhere so they probably weren't even hit with whatever it is." She needed to find her family and apologize. She could feel everyone's stares then and she moved her eyes over to see Rick's face. He had a look about him that suggested that she was being too hopeful.

"Alright," Rick began slowly, still assessing the strangeness of it all, " If you guys change your minds for any reason, you know where to find us. Do you need anything to take with you?"

"Of course they do." It was Dale again. He was coming down the steps of his RV, burlap sack in hand. Ah, that's where he'd gone off to.

"There isn't much but I managed to pack in a few cans, a blanket, and a basic first aid kit," the older man spoke handing the sack over to Daryl. The hunter nodded his head at Dale and then Glenn, behind him, before he went back to his truck. Rick squinted his eyes in Daryl's direction, a question lingering between his furrowed brows. Lori caught his eye and nodded before Rick went to catch up with Daryl.

"Beth why don't you come on and say goodbye to Carol and the kids," Lori said warmly. She put her arm around Beth's shoulders and led her to her family's car. Daryl sighed when he saw that the blonde woman still didn't have her shoes on.

"Aye, Daryl?"

"What you want, Grimes? Ain't we done yet?" Daryl tossed the burlap sack from Dale into the truck bed careful not to aim it at Merle's motorcycle that was currently taking up space there.

"I'm not Shane. I'm not going to try to talk you guys down. That's fine. I just wanted to be sure that it was Beth's plan and not something weird like Shane was implyin'. He's known y'all a while longer than I have but I know he's a hothead."

Daryl gave the ex-officer a gruff frown before moving to the cab of his truck.

"We were at that camp site for a month. It hardly constitutes 'knowin' someone'. Hell, if that girl keeps tryin' to talk me to death then I'll prolly bring her to the CDC before the day's out. Would that make you and Mrs. Grimes happy?"

Rick sighed loudly before clamping a rough hand on Daryl's shoulder causing the flannel-clad man to flinch. Rick made like he didn't notice.

"Just keep her safe, man. Keep yourself safe."

Daryl watched as Rick turned to walk back to the front of the caravan. He met Beth halfway where she stood saying her goodbyes to Jacqui, Glenn, T-Dog, and Dale. Andrea hadn't come out of the RV. Beth was holding what looked like extra clothing. The blonde girl nodded with a small grin to whatever Rick said before throwing her free arm around him in a hug. She gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek before making her way towards Daryl.

The yellow-orange sky that suggested the start of sunset made her look like she was the sun with the light illuminating her hair as if she wore a halo. She slowly approached him. Sunshine and wildflowers. What the hell did he get himself into?

"Alrighty, Daryl. I think we're set. Lori and Carol gave me a couple of dresses and a blanket."

"We ain't goin' on a picnic so if that's what you think this is, you need to stop that now," Daryl spoke, his annoyance finally bubbling over as he recalled Rick's words. He didn't know the first think about keeping anyone safe. Especially someone like her.

Beth froze and looked up at the tracker. She glared at the man, making him shift uncomfortably. Though uncomfortable, Daryl kept his eyes on hers registering that there was some sort of battle going on in the girl's head. Seeing how she had clocked Walsh made him realize quickly that she was keeping herself from lashing out at him, whether verbally or physically.

"Okay," Beth sighed, finally shifting her eyes, before walking over to the passenger side of the truck. For some reason, Daryl didn't feel confident that he'd won that challenge of a staring contest or whatever it was.

Maybe she was like the sun after all. Instead of a halo, she wore a crown of fire.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Accordin' to your map, my home town is about an hour away from the quarry. So if we can find somewhere for the night, there should be no trouble getting to the farm in the mornin'," the young woman calculated.

Daryl hummed around the cigarette in his mouth. An hour in this world with abandoned cars littering the roads and the dead walking around could mean three to five hours of a reroute. They'd made it past the road leading to the quarry about fifteen minutes prior and now they were sitting in the truck just outside of a small town, that didn't appear to be marked on his old map. He was studying the area, making sure there'd be no signs of the dead…or living…before they passed through.

It was completely dark out and while he wasn't entirely upset about not having a place to rest his head at the moment, she wanted one. It had taken longer than he thought it would for them to even make it to this point. He was avoiding highways and big towns with hopes that they'd also be avoiding walkers.

"You mean to tell me that we ain't even an hour away from your home town and you wanted us to stop?" Daryl inquired. He cut his eyes over waiting for her response.

Beth gripped the map she had still been pondering over tightly. Daryl frowned at her silence and he wondered just what this seemingly sweet girl was hiding.

"I'd rather we not be out at night after what happened at the quarry." Beth started to fold the map back up carefully completely aware that Daryl's eyes were still on her. He couldn't read her and it was frustrating.

"You didn't seem all that upset after I took out that biter that was close to taking a chunk out of your neck," Daryl blurted out.

"Yeah. I knew I wasn't going to die but it got Amy instead," She spoke calmly, eyes downcast, "She pushed me out of the way just in time."

Though she spoke quietly, there was no emotion behind her statement and not for the first time, Daryl wondered what he'd gotten into. Beth certainly looked like a sweet southern belle with her wild blonde hair and summer dress but there was much more to her than that.

He didn't respond to her and they sat there quietly watching the little off beat town for any sign of movement.

"Alright. Get your shit together," Daryl mumbled after another ten minutes had gone by, "And put your damn shoes on." He turned the key in the truck and started to slowly move forward down the dirt and pebble road that went straight through the sleepy, abandoned town.

"There's a motel up ahead," Beth gestured.

Daryl pulled into the parking lot, his eyes on high alert, heartbeat even. He shut off the engine and got out of the truck, his ever present crossbow in tow. He looked around again for any sign of a threat before finally turning to grab the bag that Dale had given them along with his own bag.

Beth had gotten out too, and Daryl scoffed upon seeing that she was still barefoot, boots under her arm and her backpack slung over her shoulder. He was surprised that she hadn't gotten any blisters from walking on the hot road when they were with the group earlier that day. Stupid girl.

"Pick a number," Daryl said shrugging his shoulder towards the motel's dusty red doors.

"This one's fine." Beth had stopped in front of room eight and Daryl nearly laughed with incredulity when the girl raised her free hand and knocked. It made sense why she did it but the act itself seemed off. He listened intently, not hearing any groans or shuffling and he supposed that she was doing the same. Yeah, she was brighter than she looked.

Beth started to twist the door knob, hoping that they wouldn't need a key, and she smiled widely when the tell-tale click of the door opening happened. She then reached into one of her boots and brandished a flashlight. Shaking his head, Daryl raised his bow to prepare for what may or may not be in the room. There was nothing out of the ordinary aside from the outdated seventies décor, orange shag rug included.

There was a coating of dust all over suggesting that the motel hadn't been in use for a few years before the turn. Daryl followed her in.

"No wonder this place was closed down. Looks like shit," Daryl spoke under his breath closing the door and locking it behind him. There was no bed in the room, only a beat up old chair with stains of God-knows-what on it. Heavy, dust-laden curtains still hung at the window, random moth holes appearing around the folds.

Settling her things on the floor, Beth plopped down in the chair, creating a dust cloud. She couldn't help the sneezing fit that erupted soon after.

"Dumbass," Daryl muttered sitting down the bags he carried. He sat down on the dirty floor next to the floor-length window, one arm propped up on his crossbow.

She still held the flashlight and each time she sneezed, the light would bounce off of the walls and other random stuff in the room creating angry shadows. It was almost an allegorical representation of how shitty things had become.

"Turn that off. Gotta save the batteries," Daryl scowled when the light finally hit his eyes making him wince. _Click_.

It was completely dark. And silent. Thank goodness.

"Daryl?"

Sighing, Daryl breathed out, "What?"

"What if we don't go to the farm?" Beth's voice was small but almost meticulous, like she was trying to determine what Daryl's reaction would be.

"What the hell you talkin' about?" Daryl could feel himself becoming irritated at the girl's indecisiveness.

 _Click_. Beth had turned the flashlight back on. Daryl looked at her, a tight frown on his dirty face. She looked nervous and unsure of what she was going to say but her eyes didn't stray from his face.

"They hate me."

At Daryl's raised eyebrow, Beth continued, "My parents. They're not going to wanna see me. I got out of the hospital in Atlanta right before the bombs started. I haven't seen my family for a while."

Daryl's curiosity was piqued. She had actually managed to make it out of that mess of a city on her own? She could read the questions on his face and it prompted her to continue.

"I was in the hospital for two months."

"You sick or somethin'?" Daryl's eyes slowly scanned her over from her crown of blonde hair down to her bare feet. She didn't look sick. Maybe a little haggard, but so was he. Maybe a little dumb considering her lack of shoes.

"They thought I was," Beth offered lightly, sniffling. Daryl couldn't determine if she was sniffling from her words or the dust and when she didn't give him a straight answer, his ever-present frown deepened. Maybe she was touched in the head or something.

"Well, why ain't we goin' to the farm other than them hatin' you? How you even know they're still alive?"

"They're not dead." She said this strongly as if no one could argue with her, not even Daryl.

He was quick with his response, "You got my ass drivin' you around now. We're goin' to the farm."

"Fine," she deflated.

 _Click._

XXXX

"Why did you decide to come with me?" Beth questioned around her off brand beef-a-roni that she slurped from a can, in between all of the bumps and potholes on the road. She recognized the scenery and grinned to herself with sauce-stained lips.

Leaving the dingy hotel the next morning proved to be quite easy. Despite his reservations in doing so, Daryl managed to get a few hours of restless sleep. They were on the road again, headed to Beth's family farm.

Daryl shrugged, both hands on the steering wheel, eyes forward. He couldn't answer her because he didn't really know. She was a little compelling, he could admit, but only to himself. Despite the fact that he was doing the driving, he could follow her for a while. Now whether he did so with disdain, curiosity, or a mixture of the two, he did not know.

"Did you think I needed to be protected?" She said this lightly but Daryl could tell that she was a bit offended at the idea. Truth be told, the thought of her needing protection hadn't even crossed his mind. He grimaced internally when he realized that he had been subconsciously leaning towards the protective instinct.

"Nah. You're just careless is all. Goin' to get yourself killed. I ain't got nothin' better to do than to go to that farm. Should be food aplenty with gardens and all. Trust, I wouldn't be goin' there with you with no benefits for myself," Daryl spoke, shrugging, nonchalantly this time.

At her silent contemplation, a thought did occur to him.

"You got any weapons?"

Beth sat her can of noodles on the floor between her still bare feet and grabbed one of her boots. Daryl glanced at her quizzically before returning his eyes to the road. Was she finally putting her damn boots on?

Instead of pulling on her boots, Beth pulled a sheathed knife out of the footwear.

"What the hell is that goin' to do for you if it's in your damn shoe? See, careless. You coulda used it on that geek that was about to tear your neck out," Daryl nearly shouted exasperatedly. What the hell.

"I wasn't goin' to die," Beth said in response, her chin tilted up in defiance.

"Mmhmm. You know how to use it?"

"Yes. It's a knife."

"You ain't parin' apples girl," Daryl scoffed, "You're stabbing skulls. Shit ain't easy when you're face to face with one of those decayin' bastards…'specially for someone like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The blonde girl exclaimed. She didn't sound upset, like Daryl expected and he frowned when she sat the knife on the seat to her left and resumed eating her beef-a-roni.

"The hell you think it means? Like I said, you're careless. Walkin' around like you're simple."

"If you say so," Beth shrugged.

Daryl took his eyes off of the road to give her his best glare. She was staring straight ahead, a small smile on her face and he frowned in annoyance. He watched as her eyes grew wide and she reached out quickly turning the steering wheel.

"WHAT THE HELL-"

"DARYL!"

* * *

Notes:

Thank you all SO much for your response! I'm so excited about this fic. I'm trying something new in not posting a new chapter until I have at least two more written. I also have a basic outline drafted. This keeps me ahead of things. We will see a few familiar faces in the next chapter but it will be a couple chapters before they reach the farm and I can hardly wait. :)

Thank you again and please tell me what you think. How's my Daryl? I'm rewatching the second season again (6th or 7th time around) to keep up with his attitude-erratic but smart when it counted-back then. I'm noticing that while he was super animated, he still gave credit and kindness when due.

I'll try to have the next chapter up on Thursday.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Disoriented, Daryl stared at his wrecked truck and he briefly considered if the crazy blonde had steered the vehicle into the tree as another delay tactic to keep them from getting to the farm.

"Aye, what the hell was that?!" He could barely contain his anger as he stomped over to where Beth leaned forward on a tree.

Daryl wrinkled his nose in disgust when he saw that her breakfast now covered the shrubbery near her bare feet.

"Hey?!" He yelled grabbing on to her arm, angrily, pulling her around. She was silent, her blue

eyes wide and glazed over in shock.

"Are you goin' to leave me here?" The question came out of the blue but the crossbow-yielding man wasn't paying any attention. All he could think of was their now-lack of transportation.

"I have half the mind to! Hell, is that your damn racin' tree?" Daryl bit out angrily, "What the hell you crash us for?"

"Daryl," her voice was small as she looked up at him, "I know you don't like me but you can't leave me. Not here. Not at the farm, okay?"

Daryl realized then that he was still holding onto her arm, and gripping it rather tightly. He dropped it like it was on fire and clenched his hand at his side.

Who the hell was this girl and what the hell was she talking about?

Beth rubbed her arm where his hand had been before she walked back over to passenger side of the wrecked truck. It was totaled. Luckily the chopper looked fine.

Daryl looked around, sure that the crash had attracted some sort of attention, but it was quiet. Too quiet.

He heard her small footsteps coming towards him and he turned around. Her steps were noisier than usual. She had finally pulled on her cowgirl boots and her bag was resting on her back. She was still rubbing her arm where he had grabbed her. He noticed that her hair had come out of it's braid due to all of the commotion and it was barely being contained by the hair tie that she had in place, making her appear frazzled.

"Promise me and I'll tell you why I grabbed the wheel," Beth said, her tone strong. She started wringing her hands together, betraying her portrayal of calmness, but Daryl's eyes zeroed in on the bruises that were starting to form on her left arm as a direct result of his anger.

"Yeah, whatever," Daryl mumbled, his eyes still focused on her arm. Beth seemed to figure out what had his mind occupied then as she followed his gaze down to the blue marks he'd left on her arm.

"It was an accident. I'm fine. I just bruise really easily," Beth paused when she realized just how frozen in the moment Daryl was. He wore a deep frown, his hawk-like eyes still focused on her arm.

She stepped closer to the man, her own nervousness forgotten.

"Daryl, I'm fine. You wanted to know why I turned the wheel?" Beth walked towards the road, somehow knowing that her movement would give him cause to pay attention. His head turned as she moved.

"There's a pile-up on the highway. You couldn't see the cars around the bend in the road up ahead because you were bein'…careless," Beth quipped, turning back around from the road, still walking, but backwards.

A small grin was on her lips when she noticed him rolling his eyes, finally breaking out of whatever thoughts plaguing his mind.

"Smart ass," Daryl muttered following her. So she wasn't completely out of her mind. There were quite a bit of vehicles clogging up the highway system and he'd almost driven straight into one of the semi-trucks that was at the back of the line-up. It was stopped just around the band of the road so he wouldn't have seen it until it was too late.

Daryl considered the speed in which he had been driving and how much the small woman had occupied his mind prior to the crash. His carelessness was certainly ironic.

"Hold on. We'll take the bike," Daryl spoke turning back to the truck.

"I've never been on a motorcycle before. We had four-wheelers growin' up but it ain't the same," Beth said pensively. Daryl chanced a glance and saw another dumb smile on her face. She was always smiling. Always sunny.

"Come 'ere and hold this so I can grab it." He nodded his head towards his crossbow that he now held out in her direction. Beth took an awkward hold of the angular piece of equipment, careful not to drop it. She hadn't seen anyone else hold his crossbow. Not even Merle.

She watched as he lowered the old rusty tailgate of his truck and hopped up. She couldn't help but stare at his arms as he did these movements and she felt her face heating up when she realized just what she was doing.

Daryl reached down for his bag that rested next to the bike's back tire before tossing it to the ground. It was heavier than it had been before because he added the items that Dale had given them and it made a sort of clunk when it landed. While he stood on the truck he took a look around to be sure that things were still good. They were.

Daryl started to roll the bike off of the truck until he got to a point where he could hop off and lift it down. Beth's eyes were on him the entire time.

"A'ight," Daryl muttered. He'd secured his bag onto the motorcycle and he was holding out his hand for his bow, surprised that the girl was being so quiet. She stepped closer to hand him his most prized possession. He took it quickly, careful not to touch her.

Beth watched as he lowered his narrow eyes, clearly thinking to himself, before he lifted his pale blue eyes and locked gaze with her own.

"If anybody touches you like that again, sock 'em worse than you did with Walsh. I don't give a fuck if it's me either. A'ight?"

Beth cocked her head, a small curious frown gracing her brow line. He didn't give her a chance to respond and Daryl threw his leg over the bike and sat down.

"Let's go."

XXXX

Beth sat behind Daryl on the slow-moving motorcycle, her legs locked outside of his and her hands wrapped tightly around his lower belly. He had stiffened when she had initially climbed up behind him but he had relaxed considerably. She wanted to bury her head between his shoulder blades to further soak up his warmth but though they moved slow, it was exhilarating having the wind in her face as they navigated through the now-junkyard on the highway with the noisy vehicle.

"Daryl," Beth leaned up to the hunter's ear, "There's somethin' up ahead. We should stop."

The hunter nearly stilled at the young woman's breath at his ear but he was able to control himself. Daryl saw what she meant and he coasted to a stop, switching off the motorcycle.

Beth climbed off of the bike and grabbed her knife out of the side of her bag.

"Daryl, those are people," Beth paused and lifted her hand over her eyes, "DARYL! That's the RV!"

Daryl still sat on the motorcycle, his blue eyes narrowed in his usual frown. One of the blurry figures ahead on the road started walking towards them.

What the hell was the RV doing there? Did someone ambush the group on the way to the CDC? Did they change routes and just not even bother going to the CDC?

The archer lifted his crossbow towards the approaching figure.

"It's Glenn!" Beth exclaimed. She started running in the direction of the RV.

"Stupid!" Daryl huffed starting the bike again. He could see that it was their group but that was no excuse for her to go running off towards them before fully recognizing them.

"Beth?! Daryl?!" the young Korean man exclaimed as he met up with Beth. He had been moving at a faster pace than the others who followed him. Daryl sped past them to the RV, not interested in a warm and fuzzy reunion.

"What're y'all doin' here?" Beth questioned, a small smile on her lips as she reached her arms around the man, giving him a welcoming hug. They'd only been separated for a day but damn it if it didn't seem like weeks in this new world. The two walked towards the RV.

"Shoot. The CDC was a bust. We'll explain that later but, oh God," Glenn's surprise at seeing Beth and Daryl quickly wore off and it was replaced with a panic-stricken look on his face. He had reached up to lift his ball cap, rubbing his forehead anxiously.

"What happened?"

"There was a huge herd of walkers, about a hundreds We couldn't fight 'em all off so we hid under the cars. Long story short; Sophia went missing.. Rick, Shane, and Carl went to find her and apparently Carl got shot while they were in the woods," at this Beth gasped, "Some hot brunette on a horse came out of nowhere and took Lori. Said something about a farm up the road where Rick and Carl were."

By the time Glenn finished his tale, he and Beth had reached the RV. Daryl was regarding her with his normal, careful stare. He had heard the last part of their conversation with that impeccable hearing of his. Or they had just been loud. All of the color that normally tinged Beth's pale cheeks had disappeared at Glenn's news.

Both Dale and Andrea were on top of the RV keeping watch but Dale climbed down from his perch, his arms outstretched for a hug from the younger blonde woman. Andrea stayed where she was.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," Dale exclaimed releasing her from the hug. Daryl was still staring at Beth, who welcomed Dale's hug with warmth but she could not hide her nervous eyes from the hunter.

"So that little girl is missin' and y'all are just sittin' out here sightseein'?" Daryl finally spoke up.

"We JUST got back," Glenn exclaimed, "We've been looking!"

"Mmhmm. Where's her mama at?"

"Carol's in the RV tending to T-Dog's arm. He got a nasty cut on his arm trying to avoid those walkers. An infection is starting to take hold. We were getting ready to head to that farm to see about him getting some care," spoke Dale.

"Well, shit," Daryl grumbled. He started digging around in the bag attached to the motorcycle before pulling out a bottle of pills and tossing it to Dale.

"Merle got the clap on occasion. See if that helps," Daryl shrugged from his position straddling the motorcycle. Dale nodded with a quirked brow before climbing the few short steps leading into the RV.

"Did the girl on the horse give y'all directions?" Beth asked Glenn, her voice small, the confidence she usually held, gone.

"Yeah. You can ride in the RV," Glenn offered, "When we get there we can regroup and get back on the search for Sophia."

Beth moved quickly then, throwing her leg over the back of Daryl's motorcycle, causing him to visibly start. She made him uncomfortable yet she still intrigued him. She could've easily climbed up into that RV but she chose to ride with him.

"We know where to go. Y'all can follow us." Her confidence had returned, if only for the moment.

* * *

Note: I can't thank you all enough for your kind words. Do you prefer notes at the beginning of the chapter or after? I'm going to push for Beth's POV more in chapter 6 so that'll be fun. The group finally reaches the farm in the next chapter (5) and my crazy Beth ignites a fire. I might post it tonight after the episode if I get enough feedback. ;)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Daryl sped down the dirt road towards the big farmhouse with Beth's arms wrapped tightly around his middle. He'd lost the RV once they'd reached the mailbox with the surname "Greene" painted on it, expecting the others to make their way.

"Stop at that tree," Beth yelled into his ear. Aggravated, Daryl slowed the bike to a stop.

"You know how many trees there are out here?!" Daryl responded exasperatedly.

"But you still stopped. I'm not goin'," Beth responded, jumping off of the bike. She moved to kick off her boots, never minding Daryl's confused stare. He regarded her for a few more seconds before knitting his brows together.

"What the hell, girl? I ain't got time for this. I'll be damned if I spend my last days with your conflictin' bullshit," Daryl spat really wishing that he had a cigarette.

Beth held back a response and took off into the woods leaving Daryl to shake his head in confusion and irritation. Somehow he knew she'd be alright so he didn't bat a lash. Instead he rode his chopper further down the road until he reached the porch of the old farmhouse, hearing that the RV had found the way after all.

He didn't think of just how awkward things were going to be when he stood from his bike to see Walsh and Rick standing on the porch, Walsh clothed in over-sized overalls looking foolish, and Rick, pale-faced, grief-stricken, and confused.

"RV's comin' up. Heard you lost the little girl?"

"Seems like you did too," Walsh mumbled.

"I ain't lose nobody. Dumb girl went off on her own," Daryl rebutted, ready to launch himself at Shane if something else stupid came out of his mouth. Just then, they all heard the hinges of the screen door and turned their heads toward the sound.

Lori stood there with an older, white-haired man, a stringy teenager, the "hot" brunette woman, and a pretty older blonde woman. Daryl nodded at their introductions but he didn't speak choosing instead to wait for those in the RV to come out of the vehicle.

"Met up with them on the highway," Glenn spoke shortly to Shane and Rick with no other explanation, his dark eyes focused on the tall brown-haired girl standing on the porch. Daryl snickered at the lovesick man.

"Can we come up with a plan?!" Carol could be heard, her voice becoming louder as she stepped down from the RV followed by Andrea, Dale, and T-Dog.

"Give it a rest Carol, Carl just got shot," Shane interrupted, his voice hoarse and bitter, "We done looked for the girl and I'm tellin' you, the likelihood of us findin' her alive, IF we find her, is slim to none."

"Shane!" Lori exclaimed. Everyone stood shocked by Shane's seemingly random outburst.

"Y'all know I'm right. Carl got shot while we were out there lookin' for that little girl. And a good man gave his life to save Carl's."

The air was still as Carol brought her hands up to her mouth, tears swimming in her eyes. She shook her head before running off. The blonde woman on the porch was engulfed in a one-armed hug with the darker haired girl whose steely dark eyes frowned down at Walsh. They walked back into the farm house.

"Rick, can I have a word?" The old man, Hershel Greene, inquired turning to go back into his house, a silent Rick Grimes trailing after him.

Lori flashed her dark eyes over in Shane's direction before moving to follow her husband. The stringy teenager, Jimmy, went towards the chicken coop, pail in hand.

"Where's Beth?" Dale asked then, finally noting the young woman's absence.

"She ran off somewhere," Daryl provided and that was it. Dale squinted over at the other man before sighing. Dale knew that this was the farm that Beth spoke of, Daryl could see that.

XXXX

Moments later Rick had led the group to a small grove of trees on Hershel's property.

"Hershel said that we were welcome here for as long as it takes Carl to heal. Let's do all that we can to respect his land," Rick spoke with a tired sigh. He looked around the group noting that two people were missing.

"Where'd Beth get off to?" Rick directed his question to Daryl who threw up his arms.

"I ain't her damn keeper. She ran off somewhere!" He trudged over several paces away from where Andrea had started to build a fire, wanting to be as far away as he could from the group, but not too far. He started to post up his tent, not stopping until it was done.

By the time he'd finished, Carol had returned, joining Andrea by the fire. He looked on as the woman dragged her feet, almost like a dead woman, on her way to the RV. That's when he made up his mind. He walked over to where Rick struggled with the set up of his tent, his long face weary from the blood transfusions.

He wasn't supposed to be out in the heat but he needed to do _something_ to keep his mind off of his unconscious child.

"Don't got much light, but I'm goin' to double back to the highway and see if I can find Sophia's trail."

At the mention of the little girl's name, Daryl could feel Carol's eyes on him. He looked over to where she sat in the RV's window and nodded his head to her.

Rick turned to Daryl, shocked at the other man's willingness to join in the search. The sheriff nodded and reached into his pocket pulling out a map of the area.

Daryl could see that Rick had already marked the areas that they'd seen to but he still felt it best that he start from the beginning himself.

"You ain't no tracker," the tracker remarked folding the map and stuffing it into his back pocket.

Rick smirked, nodding in agreement.

Daryl turned to his chopper but he stopped when Rick called out his name and walked closer to the hunter.

"About Beth," Rick cleared his throat, seeing that Daryl had already knitted his brows together, "It ain't right that her family doesn't know she's here." He spoke under his breath, knowing that Daryl would hear him.

Daryl nodded, "It ain't my business."

XXXX

Daryl, tired, made his way back to his tent with his crossbow in tow, seeing that Carol was waiting out front perched on a stool.

"I caught the trail but it was too dark for me to keep on," he explained as Carol's hopeful eyes dropped.

"It's okay. I can't imagine her being out there all alone and hungry…" Carol sniffed. She wasn't crying. From Daryl's position he could feel the heat of the camp's large fire on his back and all he wanted to do was lie down. The day had been long.

"She's out there and she's smart. I'll find her."

Carol stood offering a small smile.

"Thank you Daryl, but I think that's enough worrying. She's probably dead," Carol said matter-of-factly, patting his shoulder lightly. Daryl pushed her hand away, eyebrows furrowed.

Though Carol spoke with no animosity and plenty of sadness, Daryl was pissed.

"The fuck you mean?! You just gon' give up? That little girl is out there scared and hungry. Got people out here gettin' shot lookin' for her and you just gon' give up?!" Daryl kicked her stool angrily, "Stupid bitch."

He entered his tent after Carol stormed off and threw himself down attempting to get a bit of rest before resuming his hunt for Sophia in the morning.

"The hell you want?" Daryl asked sitting up quickly, ready to curse out Carol again, his ears catching on to a slight noise right outside of his tent. It was Beth.

"You're goin' to let me sleep in here," Beth quipped when Daryl met her gaze. The light from the camp fire was casting strange shadows about her face. Daryl was nearly speechless as the girl climbed through the opening of the tent, fumbling over the hunter's long legs.

"Son-of-a-bitch," Daryl mumbled under his breath when Beth finally plopped her head onto his pillow.

"What's your daddy gon' do if he finds you sleepin' in here?" Daryl asked, unsure of what he should do in this particular situation. Though his tent was set up on the outside of the group's camp, he kept his voice low.

"Daryl, they don't even know I'm here yet. They'll probably notice tomorrow once Carol and Lori realize that those are my baby pictures all over the place in there. The men don't notice much. 'Specially Shane," Beth chuckled, "Dale and Glenn know but they're keepin' quiet for now."

"Hmm. The hell you been at, then?" Daryl questioned lying his head back down, too tired to argue with the blonde. He didn't find it necessary to mention that Rick knew too.

"The stables. My horse is still there none the wiser on the state of the world. I'm excited for a good night's sleep, though," Daryl could hear the smile in her voice.

"Then why don't you go on inside and sleep in your own bed." He could suggest it but he wasn't going to make her leave.

"It'd just be nice to have another night without my sister at every turn. When I was in the hospital, she would've slept in the lobby if they'd let her. Maybe Mama will make me a nice meal tomorrow when I knock on the door," the blonde woman mused turning on her side towards the archer.

"Hmph," was Daryl's only response. He reached his right arm up throwing it over his eyes. He was too exhausted to care.

"Did you find anythin'? A trail?," Beth questioned then as if just remembering that a little girl was missing. She couldn't imagine being twelve years old and lost in the woods, roamers all around waiting for another bite to eat.

"Yeah, but it was too dark to keep on. Didn't wanna fuck up the trail. Goin' back out tomorrow." There was no bite to his voice, even though the girl was too close for comfort, obviously not concerned with intruding on anyone's personal space.

"Good call," affirmed Beth quietly. Daryl could feel her breath ghost across the back of his arm and surprising himself, he welcomed the warmth and he felt himself drifting off.

"You were really rude, you know." Daryl was roused from the haze of sleep not two minutes later.

"What?" Daryl grumbled sleepily, his normal crankiness returning.

"With Carol. I heard you yellin' at her," Beth said a little unsure of admitting that she'd been eavesdropping.

Groaning in annoyance, Daryl turned his back to the blonde woman. His eyes were wide open and he was disconcerted that he hadn't even noticed that she had been listening in. He hadn't seen her since she ran off when they'd first reached the farm.

"Don't do that, Daryl," Beth grabbed his shoulder attempting to pull him back around, " You called her a _bitch_."

Fed up, his exhaustion now anger, Daryl turned over quickly, and Beth found her wrists being held down as Daryl leaned over her, their noses near-touching, his heavier body pinning her down.

"That's 'cause she is. What the hell you doin' in here anyways. You need to go tell your daddy you ain't dead instead of hangin' around me. I got your dumbass here, now leave me be!" He could see as Beth's eyes transitioned from shock to anger, like a switch.

"Let. Me. Go." Daryl released her arms like she was a fire, already scorching him to a fine crisp. He rolled off of her and stared her down angrily as Beth sat up, on her knees, fury lit up in those bright eyes of hers. She was a fire and in that moment he felt like a moth.

And he watched, almost in slow motion as Beth reared her tiny fist back and punched him square in the jaw.

The fire outside was cackling, the shadows dancing around the tent, every shadow different. For the briefest of moments Beth couldn't look at anything other than the shadows flitting across the man's face. She immediately regretted her actions, her pulsing hand at her mouth, shock making its place back across her features.

"Fuck!" Daryl bit out as he clutched his smarting jaw. She hadn't hit him hard enough to create a problem but the mere fact that she _had_ hit him, had them both surprised.

"I'm sorry!" Beth whispered loudly, cautiously. She reached her hand out towards his face, but pulled it back when she saw that the angry frown on his face had yet to dissipate.

"You told me to do that…you said to do it…" Beth trailed off watching as Daryl lowered his hand from his face.

They stared at one another.

She was a different sort of fire than the one that burned outside. She was alluring, even more dangerous, and for some reason Daryl couldn't stay angry. And she was right. He had impulsively grabbed her, allowing his anger to take hold. Again. It was almost as if the cold blue-black fire that burned within him was being snuffed out and replaced by her bright yellow-orange one.

Beth reached her hand out again, tentatively, and grabbed his jaw. Daryl did nothing, and let her. The woman pushed his head up from the shadows, analyzing her handiwork with gentle hands. He hadn't even flinched. He was the damn moth.

"Gotta work on that right hook," Daryl mumbled softly, his eyes finding hers again. Beth was smiling then and dropped her hands from his scruffy jaw. She gripped her knees tightly and Daryl could see as the shadows on her own face were transformed by the thoughts coursing through her head. He couldn't pull his eyes away. With all of the foresight that came with analyzing trails and hunting, he still could have never predicted what happened next.

Beth launched herself towards the hunter, her lips covering his hungrily. Ignited, he followed her lead his rough hands grabbing onto the sides of her head in shock, the pain in his jaw present but ignored. Instinct told him to push her away. Instinct also told him to pull her closer. As their lips moved together sloppily, their tongues involved in a never-ending quarrel, Daryl could practically feel the coals beneath his feet and he had miles left to go before any sort of reprieve.

His fingers were now in her hair, subconsciously massaging her scalp, further tangling the wispy blonde tresses. Beth had made it to his lap, her one hand on his chest and the other clutching his neck tightly. He wasn't thinking, just feeling, and he knew how dangerous it was to loosen the reins on his feelings of elation; feelings long held back by his tumultuous upbringing.

Daryl was on fire and he couldn't stop it. Her flames nipped, bit, and licked at his lips as she finalized her brand on his soul with her own lips and it terrified him. What the hell was this girl doing to him? He didn't know her from Eve, yet here she was pulling him onto her own circle of hell that could rival all of Dante's. And he couldn't take the heat. It became stifling and it suffocated him. Though he had initially welcomed the euphoria caused by that enigma of a blonde woman, it was still foreign. In the end, it was rationality and mostly fear that won the battle.

Daryl tore himself away from her, and pushed her off of his lap, anxiety coursing through him, his face and fingertips numb.

"Get the fuck out of here," he snarled. She would engulf him if he let her.

* * *

NOTES:

So. That happened. I wanted to post it earlier but it needed more. Beth, in my opinion, is very headstrong. She does what she wants. She knows what she wants, despite what others feel. Sure, she's got her weak moments but this ain't one of em. Daryl doesn't know what he wants. Or he does but he isn't good with admitting stiff to himself.

At this point, it will be a fairly paced slow-burn on Daryl's part. (Don't quote me on that) Daryl is a bit hard-headed but we know that. I see too many fics that launch them into a sexual relationship right out the gate and sometimes it works when well written but other times, it's just mush. I love fluff but not way-OOC fluff.

Next chapter: Beth's POV following this flaming incident.

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! Tell me what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Beth woke up, her head groggy. After Daryl had pushed her out of his tent, she allowed her legs to take her away from the camp, finding herself back in the stables. She was embarrassed. What the hell had she been thinking, throwing herself at the older man like that?

She hadn't been. Or maybe she had. Daryl was rude, insensitive, and unpredictable. Though he was all of these things, she could see during their very short time alone together that he was caring… to a degree. He didn't go to the CDC when she'd mentioned not going and he'd brought her to the farm. Was that it?

Was that supposed to be the only interaction they had because she was not okay with that. Maybe Daryl was supposed to be her God-send. Beth grinned at the thought. She believed in some level of fate but she wasn't going to be one of those people who believed that the world was supposed to end just so she could meet Daryl Dixon but damn it if it didn't feel like it.

The blonde girl stretched her arms out over her head, ridding herself of the tension from sleeping on the warm, scratchy hay that the stable had offered her. Beth sighed and slapped her hand over her eyes when she once again thought back to her impulsive behavior the night before. That wasn't her. But Daryl Dixon, that man, pulled that wildfire from her deepest depths and she felt it.

She sat up, yawning widely, sure that she had hay weaved throughout her tangled, blonde locks, and dirt all over her face. It had not been comfortable sharing a home with her horse, Nelly, the night before.

Standing, Beth stretched once again, all of the kinks and tightness in her limbs loosening and popping. She ignored the prickles beneath her bare feet from the hay, just happy to be home after months. There was no other way she could feel at that moment. She was finally grounded in the familiar environment that was her home.

And she was happy because it seemed as if the farm _had_ been successful in avoiding the pandemic. Except she was a little unsure of why Jimmy was hanging around her family's land. Perhaps his family hadn't been as lucky. Beth grimaced at the thought.

Beth looked around for her bag, ready to leave the stables before her sister or father came out to tend to Nelly. Her mouth opened with an "o" when she realized just where she'd left it. It was in Daryl's tent. Groaning in annoyance, Beth steeled herself. She needed her bag to change, her clothes from the day before stuck to her body from her slumber and the humid morning. The luxury of having another dress to change into was too good to resist.

For a split second she considered attempting to sneak into the old farmhouse, not quite ready to show herself but she quickly tossed that thought out. There was no way she'd go unseen. Her mama noticed everything and her father wasn't too behind when it came to awareness.

Sighing, her decision finally made, Beth started her trek around the farm, careful to avoid anyone, and she made her way to the camp in the grove of trees.

XXXX

She made it to the camp unnoticed. Most of the group was sitting around the fire, eating breakfast. From Beth's point of view, they were scooping baked beans from cans and eating fresh eggs, no doubt provided by her family. Her stomach grumbled and she ducked behind Daryl's tent, quickly, hoping that no one heard. Especially _him_.

She'd seen him around the fire too, angry eyebrows on, eating his own eggs and beans, with a complete disregard for utensils and his ever present crossbow leaning against his leg.

She went into his tent, happy that she didn't need to unzip it and spotted her bag where she'd left it.

"Too easy," she whispered to herself with a tiny smile. She looked around the tent, able to see with the morning light. Daryl had his pack placed closely by the opening. He didn't have any blankets, just a pillow. Beth shook her head at his simplicity and inhaled, noticing a scent that was distinctly him. When he was leaning over her the night before, angry, her senses were nearly overwhelmed by his woodsy scent before she'd allowed her own anger to take over. She'd be a fool if she ever denounced the fact that the slight tinge of tobacco and fresh pine didn't play a hand in the kiss she'd planted on him.

Blinking her eyes rapidly to rid herself of certain…thoughts, Beth made to take off when she heard her. Maggie. And her sister sounded angry.

"Who the hell took these out of the house?!"

"Maggie, calm down—" came Rick's started voice.

Maggie immediately cut Rick off, "Don't you tell me to calm down! We don't appreciate ya'll snoopin' around our house!"

Beth poked her head around the corner of Daryl's tent, instantly curious. All of the campers who were present had their eyes on Maggie. While it didn't take a lot to rile up her sister, it took quite a bit of effort to get her pissed to the point of screaming.

Beth saw as Rick held his hands up defensively-effectively, and unknowingly, blocking Beth's view of what Maggie was talking about.

"Someone was in _her_ room—my little sister. Somebody was in there messin' with her stuff. I found these out by our racin' tree," Maggie answered, her voice having lowered a touch, hugging what she held to her chest almost like she would a child.

"Shit," Beth whispered to herself at the same time that Daryl snickered.

"Maggie, I can assure you that no one was in your house messin' around with any of your family's things," Rick spoke slowly, his hands were still up towards Maggie but his head had turned to Daryl. The hunter shrugged nonchalantly before returning to his meal.

"There's no other way these could've gotten there…She didn't make it out of Atlanta. We don't appreciate ya'll messin' with a dead girl's things," though Maggie's eyes were still hard, her voice had softened and her hands lowered dropping what she held into the dirt. Beth's boots.

"Wait," Andrea mumbled, her own bright eyes like shards of ice, before continuing, "What's your sister's name?"

"Beth. Bethy was in a hospital in the city and we caught the reports of the chaos there before we lost signal," Maggie sniffed, "We don't think she was strong enough to make it out of that mess before they napalmed the city."

Rick looked over to Daryl as if to say, " _See_ ," but Daryl ignored him, his narrowed blue eyes focused elsewhere, his egg-filled hand frozen midway to his mouth.

"You thought I wasn't strong enough?"

Daryl had heard the rustling as Beth came around the tent, her self-induced stealth having gone away when she decided to show herself. He could almost see the waves of hurt and anger radiating off of the small blonde woman.

The entire group was silent, all eyes on Beth, realization finally making its mark on those who didn't know that they camped on the farm that Beth had mentioned.

Maggie's dark eyes that had become glassy with tears, grew wide, her hands at her heart in shock. And denial. She had to be seeing a ghost.

"No," she uttered simply before turning around and running back towards the farmhouse. Glenn turned to go after her but Rick held up a hand rooting the younger man in his spot.

XXXX

"You mean to tell me that we've been on your family's farm this entire time?" T-Dog questioned incredulously.

Beth stared at him angrily.. He wasn't a stupid man and she actually liked him, however, he was a little behind when it came to putting things together. In a matter of seconds she had gone from feeling on top of the world to numb and she didn't feel much like explaining anything.

"They led us here," Dale answered for her, gesturing towards both Beth and Daryl.

"Beth. Why the hell didn't you tell them you were here?" Carol questioned then, "They thought you were dead or out there alone like Sophia."

Beth moved her eyes down to the ground, attempting to keep her feelings at bay. This was overwhelming, part of the reason why she didn't want to do this in the first place. All of these different feelings were a bit too much to handle. Anger was the easiest though and she found herself becoming upset with Daryl for bringing her home. But she couldn't be angry at him or any of these people. These were repercussions from decisions that she had made out of fear.

Not saying a word, the blonde woman shrank back until she was once again in Daryl's tent. She sat down and hugged her knees hoping that they would allow her a chance to think of a solution to this problem she'd instigated…to _breathe_. While they didn't enter the tent, they still spoke amongst themselves, loud enough for her to hear them.

"I need to go talk to Hershel and his people," Rick could be heard. Of course he did; always needing to fix things, that Rick.

"I'm going with you." That voice belonged to Glenn.

"So Dixon, when you gon' tell the farmer that you're stickin' it to his teenage daughter?"

Beth winced at Shane's vulgarity and utter wrongness from her cover in Daryl's tent. She heard items clunking into the dirt and peeked her head from the tent once again, all other thoughts forgotten for the moment.

T-Dog was pushing back an agitated Daryl who kept pacing forward almost like a wolf circling its prey. Beth could see that Daryl had dropped his breakfast in a hurry to get at Shane. His hawk-like eyes were narrow as he readied himself to advance.

"We all saw her come out of your tent. We saw her go back into it too," Shane gestured, sweat beading up on his forehead from the morning humidity as well as his own huffiness. Beth sank back into the tent for two long seconds before she stood up with her bag, her mind made up.

With a tight frown she walked past Daryl, T-Dog, and Shane, stopped to collect her boots, and turned her angry, blue, cornflower eyes towards Shane.

"I'm twenty-one, you prick."

She continued on to whatever awaited her in her family's home.

* * *

Note:

This is one of those chapters that helps us get the ball rolling. Yes, I decided to age Beth up a bit because at this point she's already gone through the suicide attempt/her development surrounding that event and in the show, she was around 18- 19 (that's what I think anyway) when she and Daryl were alone developing romantic feelings (I don't care; they were in love). Their age difference never really bothered me especially considering that he aged a bit slower emotionally…and I always felt that he was thirty-ish at the farm anyways.

I always thought that Beth was a little bull-headed, wise, and a touch fragile all at the same time. Wisdom sometimes comes with a cost bringing in that fragility aspect, but we'll get back to that later. ;)

I am so thankful to you guys for pushing me forward. This is honestly one my favorite projects thus far and I'm definitely planning on sticking through with it. My other fics are on hiatus at the moment but I have plans for those as well!

Next: Beth confronts her family. And Jimmy. Daryl goes off to confront his own inner "demon" and to find Sophia. There will be more Beth/Daryl interaction in the next installment. And what's Andrea's deal?


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Her father stood from his position on their porch swing as she approached the house. His face was one of disbelief.

"What on God's green ear—"

"Hi, Daddy," Beth smiled. She felt tears brimming at her eyes but she didn't let them fall as her father stood before her, seemingly much older than he was the last time she'd seen him.

"Bethy? I don't understand," Hershel exclaimed softly as he descended the few steps needed to reach the ground. His normally bright, blue eyes were dim and cautious.

"I'm okay, Daddy. I made it." Beth didn't know that she'd feel so much seeing her father. She never anticipated just how much she _needed_ to see the man who raised her and loved her.

Hershel looked at Beth as if he were afraid that she would evaporate into thin air like an apparition. He didn't approach her and the young woman could see that he was trying to work out whether or not her presence was the devil playing tricks on him.

Then there was the creak of that old screen door.

"Oh my dear Lord. You see her too?" It was Maggie. She held onto the door handle tightly. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were stained with tears. Beth hadn't meant to come out of Daryl's tent those few moments before. She hadn't meant to upset her sister but damn it if Maggie didn't piss her off sometimes.

"How? I don't understand," Hershel repeated. He slowly lowered himself down onto the last step leading up onto the porch. Maggie stepped closer and put her hand on her father's shoulder just as bewildered as he was.

"You're supposed to be dead," Maggie spoke fiercely shaking her head still trying to clear away the blonde vision in front of them that looked like Beth. Sounded like Beth. And even stood in the defiant way that Beth always took on when she was determined or upset.

"Because I'm weak?" Beth's tears were kept at bay but her words were shaky. This is why she had so many conflicted feelings coming back home. She should've just gone off with Daryl elsewhere and she should've not even mentioned the farm. She started fiddling with the beaded and corded bracelets she wore on her once-injured wrist.

"They bombed the city. I was set to go out and get you but then we heard the broadcast about the hospital you were in. All of those sick people were there and the military was takin' those places out first," Maggie explained. It almost sounded rehearsed like this wasn't her first time saying this and Beth grimaced at that thought.

She suddenly felt overwhelmed and grabbed her wrist tightly to stop her hands from shaking. It broke her heart thinking that her sister lay awake at night thinking these things, possibly saying these things aloud to the younger sister that she felt was haunting her.

"I got out after the power was cut," Beth sighed, "I was locked in my room but the power went out and I pushed my door open before any generators could kick on. I got out before the bombs." Beth didn't go into it further. She just thanked God that the hospital she'd been in had their employees use scanners to lock/unlock doors and that these scanners were rendered useless when the power was out.

She knew that a miracle, perhaps even more than one, got her out of the city and she didn't want to revisit it. Her heart was thumping and she closed her eyes inhaling and exhaling deeply to calm the anxiety attack that she felt brewing.

"How'd you get here?"

"Rick's group. And Daryl. They found me stumbling around after I'd gotten a couple hours out of Atlanta. Then we ended up here," Beth paused momentarily before knitting together her eyebrows, "Where's Mama?"

Hershel stood up slowly, "I think I'll go lie down."

Beth watched as her father slowly walked back into the farmhouse not sparing a glance back but Maggie still stood there, her eyes glassy with tears but serious all the same.

"You really hurt us, Beth," Maggie spoke now. Beth opened her mouth in shock ready to speak but Maggie held up her hand.

"You wouldn't speak to us. You wouldn't even see us. And then when shit hit the fan, I felt real awful because I thought, 'Should I bother? What if I drive all the way there to get you and you refused to come home?' That was shitty of me. Really shitty and I've begged for forgiveness since but damn it Beth, it hurt. We love you and you couldn't even bother to see us. We had just lost Shawn and then we were losing you too. Baby, that tore us up," Maggie grinned wryly at her sister, hugging herself.

Beth cocked her head slightly at Maggie's confession, her eyes low. Yes, she felt guilt at not speaking to her family when they'd come visit her in that too-clean, super sterile environment. But Maggie wasn't telling her something and that nagging thought would just not go away.

"Where's my mama, Maggie?" Beth asked suddenly. The blonde's resolve nearly shattered when he sister sighed and dropped to the spot on the steps that Hershel had previously occupied.

"Bethy, Annette…she got sick. Really sick."

Beth took off into the woods.

XXXX

He stared at Rick and Hershel, quietly anticipating what they were going to ask him. He gripped his crossbow strap tightly, anxiously. An upset Maggie sat on the porch hugging her knees to her chest with Glenn beside her.

It had been about an hour since that crazy, blonde fire demon of a woman had ran off, apparently.

"I shouldn't have said those things," Maggie cried from her position on the porch, "I shouldn't have said anythin'."

"We need your help findin' her," Hershel said slowly as if he were unsure of his words. He hadn't fully accepted that Beth had returned yet.

Daryl blinked in annoyance.

"Now I'm lookin' for two girls lost in the woods?" Daryl questioned, "Y'all need to learn how to keep track of your kids. This private investigator shit ain't why I'm here."

"Then why are you here, Daryl?" Rick shot out. Daryl whipped his eyes over to the thin man recalling that Beth had asked him the same question not too long ago. He didn't answer then because he didn't know and he couldn't answer now for the same reason.

Sighing Daryl turned back to the farmer, "Which way did she go?"

Maggie lifted her arm and pointed past the stables. Daryl resisted rolling his eyes before he headed in the same direction. Beth was probably sitting in the stables licking her wounds. She was smart enough, he hoped at least, to not go into the woods without her shoes. He could see her bare foot prints in the dirt as he neared the building and he shook his head.

"Aye," he called out walking in. He didn't receive a response so he pushed forward, moving his eyes around the building. There was a horse in one of the stalls staring at him curiously.

"Hey there, beautiful," he mumbled reaching his hand out allowing the horse to smell him. The horse sniffed at him with her large nostrils before allowing him to gently rub her snout.

"She doesn't normally like men," he heard behind him. Daryl turned around facing a stall that was filled with hay. He almost didn't see her, her wispy blonde hair blended in too well with all of the straw surrounding her.

She was sitting with her legs crossed and her knife was stuck in a hay bale that faced her.

"What you doin' in here?" Daryl asked then. The air was heavy feeling, stifling, and uncomfortable. Daryl resisted the urge to reach up and loosen his already loose collar.

"Tryin' to figure out why God keeps savin' my life." Daryl realized then that she was staring at the knife contemplating thoughts that he'd not even imagine having any place to take root in that sweet but strange mind of hers.

"Put on your boots," he found himself saying before he could stop himself. Beth looked up at Daryl quizzically when he grabbed her knife from the hay stack and stuck it through his belt.

"I ain't got all day. Already movin' late as it is," Daryl grumbled when Beth still hadn't made to grab her boots, her blue eyes still staring up at the man in confusion.

"Lets go," Daryl said walking back towards the stable doors. What the hell was he doing?

 _You know what this is._

Daryl snapped his head up, blue eyes wide, with a quickness when his brother's voice slammed against the walls of his head.

"Daryl?" It was Beth's small voice coming up behind him. He schooled his features before looking back and down at her feet, noting that she'd actually listened to him.

"Come on." He made to move towards the woods instead of the farmhouse and for that she was glad. She trudged after him as he moved swiftly through the trees.

"What're we doin' out here?" She finally asked after nearly thirty silent minutes of following.

"Gotta find that little girl," Daryl threw over his shoulder. Beth was a little surprised that he was still looking for her knowing that most of their group had already written her off as dead.

"You think she's alive?"

Daryl stopped abruptly, his shoulders tense. He turned his head and opened his mouth to respond when they heard rustling near by, followed by growling.

"Ain't no grizzly," Daryl mumbled his crossbow up and ready. He stepped lightly towards the direction of the noise. He saw a flash of white ahead. They emerged from the bushes stumbling upon a small campsite.

They neared the white tent cautiously. Daryl held his hand up behind him as he moved closer to the tent. He pushed his crossbow to his back and reached down into his belt loop for his knife. Slowly he pulled down the zipper of the tent. The smell was overwhelming and he couldn't hold in the coughing fit it caused him. He turned his head away from the smell, noticing that Beth was staring at him, her eyes full of alarm.

Daryl inhaled deeply before turning back towards the tent. There was a corpse inside that wasn't even given a chance to reanimate. The man had blown his own brains out. Daryl reached over to pull the dead man's gun out of his stiff decaying hand. He made to back out of the tent when he realized quickly that this man wasn't the source of the growling they'd heard.

"Daryl?!" Beth cried.

"Shit!" Daryl stumbled back from the tent and righted his crossbow. There was a decaying female walker not two feet away from where Beth stood, her feet rooted to the ground in a panic. Wasting no time, he fired a bolt, effectively putting down the walker.

"The hell you doin' just standing there?!" Daryl questioned angrily giving her a once over to make sure she was alright.

Beth's panic stricken eyes flashed to those heated pools of fire that he'd quickly grown accustomed to.

"What was I supposed to do? Run? Leave her to get you?" Beth exclaimed angrily.

"You could've killed her ugly ass," Daryl retorted getting just as mad. They were almost toe to toe now.

"How? With my boots?! You—you took my knife!" Beth turned away from him and stooped down to pull the bolt free from the twice-dead woman's skull. He watched as she angrily wiped the bolt as clean as she could on that dingy dress of hers, and he nearly blanched at the sight. Something like that shouldn't be normal for her.

Daryl stood there in shocked silence, guilt starting to creep its way in. She was right. He had taken away her only weapon and he wasn't quite sure why. That was a lie. He knew. For a split second he had thought that the blonde woman was considering on opting out right there in the stables. He hadn't given it much thought when he'd initially taken her knife.

Daryl sighed before gesturing towards the tent, "Guy in there. He opted out."

"You thought I was going to kill myself in front of my horse?" Beth exclaimed then, quickly putting two and two together. She threw the bolt at him angrily and stomped over to him before reaching quickly for her knife in his belt. Daryl flinched at her quick movements but he still managed to catch her wrist. The one with the bracelets on it. He wasn't holding onto her tightly and she didn't pull away but he wished that she would because she was burning him and it just made him hold on all the more.

Those big blue-grey eyes looked up into his own then and he could see the raging fire that he had a hand in tending, slow to just a few burning embers.

"I don't plan to 'opt out' anytime soon if that's what you're worried about. You're stuck with me," Beth spoke firmly. Daryl released her wrist when she started to pull away, her knife still in his belt. Doing so, he felt cold, like it wasn't even late summer anymore despite the sweat he felt at his temple and at the nape of his neck.

 _You KNOW what this is, little brother._

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **I'm sorry for the lateness with this one guys. Before I knew it, I had this monster of a chapter so I had to cut it. Beth's interaction with Jimmy is in the next installment.**

 **The timeline for the show is so hard to nail down but Maggie mentioned on the farm that she wasn't 16 when Hershel mentioned having to chase around Beth and Jimmy. Beth did also state to Axel that she was 17 when they found the prison... there was mention that they'd been on the road for 8 or so months before the prison so we know that she was AT LEAST 18 when she and Daryl got OUT of the prison.**

 **If that reunion was painfully awkward for you, good. Writing this is making me realize just how alike Beth and Daryl are when it comes to dealing with certain things particularly their emotions. She's a bit more forthcoming with her feelings, yes, but she "puts it all away" often enough. Daryl doesn't but he doesn't allow himself those good feelings when they come around. He puts away the wrong ones. This Beth, she's a firecracker who doesn't really cry anymore.**

 **I love that when you guys leave reviews they're often a few sentences telling me that you're actually invested and curious and I appreciate that so, so much!**

 **And as per last week's episode; BETH'S KNIFE was stuck in the table right beside Daryl before that special scene between he and our favorite girl's sister. Damn it, it had me in my feels.**

 **Tell me what you think! 3**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"You really think she was in there?" Beth questioned as they made their way back to the farm. She wiped at her brow. The hair at her forehead was curling up from sweat and was starting to cling to her skin. The sun was high in the sky now and they were both exhausted from the heat and trudging through and around the brush.

"Mmmhmm," Daryl affirmed. He was a few paces in front of her so she barely heard him. He hadn't been able to look at her since he'd handed her back her knife before they'd resumed the search for Sophia earlier. Of course the girl wasn't going to kill herself. She was crazy but she was a happy crazy.

They'd found a small house that looked like it had been abandoned for years save for a tiny closet that looked like someone small had recently occupied it. When Daryl had gotten a lock on the trail, he made the uncomfortable decision to pull back. It was too hot and they didn't have any water on them. It'd be best to regroup and grab supplies.

Beth could practically see the defeat radiating off of those broad shoulders of his. She was a bit upset as well but for her own selfish reasons.

She liked being out in the woods with him. Clearly he felt like he was at home as he stepped over mossy logs and navigated through split trees. It seemed like home to him and he was alive out there. She could see it and she appreciated it. The woods weren't stifling and the trees didn't ask questions or force you to confront your family.

Beth sighed and shook her head, warding away the conversation that she'd barely had earlier with her sister and father.

"Stop thinkin' so loud and hurry up," Daryl spoke making her jump. He'd stopped walking and had his body slightly turned back towards her, waiting. She hadn't even realized that she'd slowed down allowing so much space between them.

The trees were becoming less dense and Beth almost turned back around. She didn't want to deal with her demons.

"Maggie said that my mama got really sick," Beth found herself saying when she got within a few steps of the archer. Daryl glanced at her quickly before continuing towards the farm.

"She seemed fine," Daryl shrugged. Was this another one of that crazy girl's tricks?

"Wait, what?" Beth questioned with furrowed eyebrows. She hadn't seen her mother at all. Daryl didn't respond.

Beth reached her hand forward, never one to consider personal space because that's just who she was, and gently touched the man's shoulder. He didn't flinch.

"I didn't see her, Daryl. What are you talkin' about?"

"Chhh. Course you didn't see her. You've been hidin' and playin' games. She was on the porch when we got here. She was real tore up about that Otis man too," Daryl explained bluntly while shaking her hand off of his arm.

"Oh!" Beth exclaimed. Daryl turned around at her exclamation. He was a bit confused but that's what happened when he was around her. He quirked a brow curiously.

"That's Patricia, a family friend. Everyone always said that we looked alike," Beth smiled gently. Daryl resisted closing his eyes shut tightly at the blonde girl's grin. It was almost too much to handle, being stuck out in the woods with her. He brought it all upon himself though, ever since she'd climbed herself into his truck with those bare feet of hers.

"Hmm," was all he offered before he turned back around. Not too much longer and they'd reached the farm lands again. Daryl walked past the house to the grove of trees that served as their campsite while Beth climbed the few steps leading up to the house with heavy feet.

Fifteen minutes later, he sat in front of his tent, arms crossed. Though he was a little ways away from the farmhouse that he'd left Beth at earlier, he could still see enough to know the goings on. She was standing on the porch, hair and arms moving wildly as she gestured to enunciate whatever she was saying to her sister. He had tried to keep himself occupied by cleaning his crossbow but the sun caught that fine, golden hair of hers and he became distracted.

Sure is a pretty, little thing.

Daryl frowned at his brother's voice in his head and shook his head to clear it away.

"What's got you looking surlier than usual?" came Andrea's voice. Daryl looked over to see her with her hands on her hips and a wide-brimmed straw hat atop her head.

"What's got you lookin' less mad than usual?" he shot back with a roll of his eyes.

"Well for one, I've got my gun back," Andrea inhaled before turning her eyes towards the large farmhouse, "And when we all head out, we'll be able to leave her here. I know it wasn't months that you were away but we still missed your surly ass when we were dealing with the CDC…not that you missed much."

"The hell you talkin' about?"

Andrea shrugged, "That crazy girl. We don't need her getting you killed too." With that Andrea walked back over to the RV not even giving Daryl a chance to respond if he was going to. He hadn't planned to. If anything, after all that he'd found out about the happenings at the CDC that pertained to Andrea and her want to get blown up with the scientist and Jackie, he wasn't so sure that Beth was the crazy one.

He looked back over to the porch to see that Beth had disappeared, probably into the house to speak with her father, who knows. He didn't care. Did he?

XXXX

Her mama had gotten sick, and that's all Maggie and her father would tell her. She was seated at their family table in the seat she'd always take for family meals and she anxiously ran her fingers over the notches in the wood of the table. Maggie had gone off on a late run with Glenn for a few basic medical supplies and her father was tending to young Carl with the boy's parents.

That left her. Oh, and Jimmy. He sat in the seat that Shawn would've taken if he were alive. And that almost offended her greatly. Except Shawn was dead too. Just like Amy.

"We all thought…" Jimmy started to say but he trailed off when Beth's blue eyes narrowed. He had his elbows on the table, and his hands on his cheeks. That was something that Annette would've never allowed if she was there.

"Yeah, I know. Y'all thought I was dead except I'm not," Beth sighed allowing her attitude to dissipate as quickly as it came. There was no reason to be angry at Jimmy for being even a little bit concerned.

"How'd you get out?"

"A lot of coincidences or the grace of God. Both, maybe?" She was looking at the lines in her hands before moving her eyes back up to Jimmy's hazel ones.

Jimmy nodded as if he understood before looking away from Beth. He swallowed before speaking again. Beth took the opportunity to observe how he'd changed since she'd last seen him when they'd parted ways for college. He was gangly as he'd always been but his shoulders had filled out a bit, probably from all of the work he'd been doing over the summer for her father for what was originally intended to be his job during his school break. He still had those sleepy looking eyes and boyish cheeks. She'd always liked those kind eyes of his.

"My parents were in Florida last I heard. Bout a month or so ago," Jimmy said softly. Maybe he did understand.

"Shit," Beth whispered. Annette wouldn't have allowed that either. She reached her hand out to clasp his. He pulled her hand up to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss.

"Yeah. It's real nice seein' you Beth. Are you with that guy out there, now?" He still held her hand and Beth didn't make to pull away. She stared at him quizzically for a beat before it clicked in her head what he was talking about. Her cheeks burned red at his words. He'd always been blunt and spoken freely. She didn't know how to respond, and Jimmy seemed to realize this as well.

"That Shane guy was rantin' and ravin' about you earlier and how much you were distracting the redneck with the arrows," Jimmy explained wryly with a shrug.

"Don't call him that," Beth mumbled but Jimmy caught it.

"Ah, looks like little Beth Greene's gone and caught the fever." The air stilled when the implications of what he said and the words that he'd used registered between them both. They wore matching grimaces until Jimmy sighed softly and released her hand.

Beth shrugged it all off and offered him a wide smile. She knew that he hadn't meant anything by it.

She stood up then, the long day finally catching up to her.

"It's nice seeing you too, Jimmy. If Maggie asks when she gets back, tell her I'm getting reacquainted with my mattress."

XXXX

She woke up to the sound of cicadas and crickets in a cold sweat. Her nightmares had been rough, the faces of dead people swimming in and out of focus… and blood. Everywhere. Beth sat up and pushed her tangled hair out of her face. Yes, her bed was comfortable but being back in her bedroom wasn't. It wasn't as she'd imagined it would be. Three months ago she would've loved seeing Baron the Big Bear that she'd won at the state fair when she was eleven. But now, after all that had happened, Baron belonged to a time long ago, cemented well in the past.

She stood up from her bed and grabbed her bag. She needed to get out of there. The clock on her bedroom wall read "2:53 AM" in glow-in-the-dark numbers. It was burning up in there and she was being suffocated by the still air at the same time.

It had been easier than she'd thought it would be, getting downstairs and out the door. Despite how uncomfortable she was at the moment, a tiny smile formed on her face when she found that she remembered which stairs and floorboards to avoid while she sneaked out.

It was quiet outside aside from the insects, reminding her of just how quiet it had been in the woods before she'd been found by the group near the quarry, covered in blood. Beth quickly trekked her way towards the campsite on her father's property making a beeline to that familiar tent of his. At this point, she didn't care who saw her. Daryl made her feel safe in a way that she couldn't explain.

Beth didn't realize that Daryl had been watching her from the time she left her house to the time that she entered his tent. She would find it empty. He was seated next to Dale on top of the RV having a smoke while the old man snored beside him. Glenn had managed to snag Daryl a carton when he and Maggie had gone to town earlier.

Her words from much earlier that day had been ringing loudly through his head since. He was _stuck with her_. Shit. Why the hell was she bothering him so damn much? What did she want from him? He couldn't read her and it bothered the hell out of him because it seemed like she knew just how to get under his skin. And he knew that though he was being standoffish and mean even, he was letting her. And he didn't like that.

He took a deep drag from his cigarette before, letting the smoke expand his lungs before he exhaled attempting to blow away any thoughts of the blonde woman who was taking up space in his tent. A rustling from his right caused his eyes to flash quickly to the noise. He relaxed seeing that it was T-Dog stepping out of the RV. He watched as the bald man stretched his arms above his head and yawned widely.

T-Dog was supposed to be taking over the watch shift along with Dale but all the old man had done was nod off so Daryl supposed that it was a good idea that someone else was on watch with him. Stubbing his cigarette out on the bottom of his boot, Daryl grabbed his crossbow and made to climb down from his perch.

T-Dog nodded at the man in greeting and Daryl offered him a short nod of his own before he turned towards his tent, hesitation numbing his footsteps.

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **Woah, now. Tent boundaries in the next chapter? Or none. ;). We'll see.**

 **I am absolutely going to write in the barn scene so if you've got any theories, let me hear em!**

 **Thank you all so much!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I love this chapter guys. Please enjoy and tell me what you think!**

Chapter 9

She was wide awake when he pushed his way through the tent's flaps. He could tell by the sudden way that her breath hitched. From the little light he had from the low fire burning outside (to keep away the mosquitos ), Daryl could make out her form across the floor of the tent. She had her head on his pillow again and there was a small blanket wrapped around her despite the late summer heat.

"Move over," Daryl grunted, before he even realized he'd opened his mouth. Beth complied. Her back was turned to him and Daryl watched her for a moment before he took a deep breath and laid down beside her, careful not to touch her. What the hell was he doing?

"I thought you'd make me leave," Beth whispered with a light laugh. She turned towards him. He was lying on his back, arms crossed, and she could make out that he was staring up at the ceiling of the tent.

"If you don't shut up, I will," Daryl responded while closing his eyes. If he kept them open, he'd be tempted to look at her and he'd already done enough of that during the day. He could still feel her eyes burning a hole into the side of his face. Her voice aggravated the hell out of him. Because he _wanted_ to hear it.

"You won't," Beth spoke softly, breathily. He felt her words as they caressed his cheeks and he resisted opening his eyes and turning his head towards her to welcome those words as the letters danced across his face, carried by the air.

He didn't speak because she was right. How was she always right with him?

Beth watched Daryl's face carefully, noting the way that the shadows moved as his eyebrows begin to furrow despite his closed eyes. She reached her hand up slowly and brushed some of his dark hair away from his forehead, her thumb stopping near his ear.

Daryl shocked himself by not flinching away from her touch. Instead he turned into it and he couldn't stop himself from opening his eyes. Her big, bright blue eyes were staring directly into his now and he felt like he was frozen in flames.

"What the hell you doin' in here, girl?" His voice sounded weak and he hated it.

Beth moved her thumb over his hair once again, not quite sure on what she should say. He wasn't going to make her go unless she somehow messed things up. She breathed in deeply, a small smile forming at the woodsy scent emanating from all things _him_ , before she spoke her truth hoping that she wasn't ruining things.

"I don't know…but I'm not goin' to leave you."

When Beth woke up, Daryl wasn't in the tent. She'd closed her eyes and fallen asleep shortly after telling him that she wouldn't be leaving and she could only guess that he'd slept after.

She sat up with a yawn, sure that her hair was wild, and that red sleeping marks covered her cheeks. She hadn't had any nightmares after she'd fallen asleep with him near and it was refreshing. Not feeling the need to change clothes, having done so the night before in her bedroom, Beth made her way out of the tent. She squinted her eyes at the sun.

It was still quiet out so she could only guess that the sun had just risen. She looked around the campsite seeing that Daryl was seated in a fold up chair by the small fire whittling away at something. Beth approached him quietly and took a seat next to him on a stool.

He didn't look away from what he held in his hands, as if he knew it was her, and Beth was curious.

"What're you doin'?" Her voice was still hoarse with sleep. Daryl sighed and opened his hands toward the blonde woman. He held a small knife with an even smaller piece of wood. He was looking at her waiting for the response he knew was coming.

Beth wore a quizzical smile as she glanced up at him, "What is it?"

"Nothin' yet," Daryl muttered. There was something about the gentle look on her face that made him look away and back down at his project. He went back to swiping at the wood with his knife, a light frown marring his features. He liked her being around and he didn't like that he liked it.

"What's it goin' to be?"

"Dunno," Daryl hummed out in response, a little too quickly. He hadn't intended on making anything when he had initially started cutting into the wood but she made him want to.

He'd left the tent that morning right as the sun was rising. He didn't get any sleep thanks to the blonde woman's hand on his face. Daryl spent the night arguing within himself how inappropriate all of it was.

Beth didn't say anything to that and Daryl glanced up again to see her watching his hands at work. He turned his eyes back to his whittling.

"Goin' back to the trail today," Daryl said after a few moments more, his eyes and hands attending to the project he'd given himself to distract his focus on her. It wasn't working. If anything, it made focusing on her easier. He watched her from his periphery and it seemed like she knew he was watching because she nodded.

Beth then noticed Daryl's bag and crossbow at his feet. She reached her hand out to place it lightly upon his, ceasing his movements.

He was burning up alive. That's why he'd left the tent that morning. It had gotten ridiculously hot and it wasn't from the Georgia heat.

"You'll find her," Beth said with confidence on his behalf. She pulled her hand away from him quickly when she noticed T-Dog and Dale coming down from the RV. She didn't mind touching him and it seemed like he was becoming accustomed to her nearness, but she was sure that he'd be uncomfortable if others were aware.

Dale and T-Dog walked over, joining the two around the fire.

"Mornin', small fry," T-Dog greeted Beth, lowering himself into one of the chairs. Beth smiled up at the man and turned to greet Dale who offered her a warm smile of his own.

"Last night Carol said that she'd be tending to breakfast today. Can't wait," T-Dog grinned rubbing his hands together in anticipation, "Spam and eggs. The poor man's steak."

Beth let out a small giggle while Dale chuckled. Daryl wasn't amused. His hands had stopped moving over that piece of wood he was molding. How could that woman even be thinking about cooking breakfast for other people while her daughter was out there in the woods all alone?

He stood up abruptly closing the little pocket knife that he'd been using. He stuffed it into his pocket along with the wooden piece he'd been carving and reached for his bag and crossbow.

"Prolly be back 'round dusk," he managed to say, his gruff comment directed at Beth, before he started his walk towards the woods.

"What's up with him?" T-Dog questioned tossing a large stick atop the fire from his seat.

"Just worried about Sophia is all," answered Beth. She didn't move her eyes from Daryl's retreating figure until he disappeared behind the cover of the trees.

Beth then excused herself from their company, intent on heading back into Daryl's tent for a few more minutes of sleep leaving Dale and T-Dog with grim expressions on their faces.

XXXX

Every time he lifted his eyes, they found her almost as if there was a magnetic pull. It didn't matter if she was on the porch shelling peas with her daddy or if she was chasing chickens around the coop, his eyes always managed to find Beth Greene. Even when she was talking to Jimmy.

Jimmy was replacing a few of the fence posts across the yard and Beth had volunteered to help him. And Daryl's eyes hadn't moved off of them since. He saw the way the younger man stared at her. Like she was God's greatest gift. Hell, maybe she was if you believed in that sort of thing.

Daryl sighed and glanced down at the piece of wood he'd been whittling. It had started to take on the form of a cottontail. She reminded him of one. Stubborn yet skittish with that twitchy grin of hers that she always seemed to wear when he was around. Why was he so focused on her?

It had been a few days since they'd arrived at the farm but it felt like months. He couldn't deny that he was beginning to feel comfortable around her. He woke up each morning, nearly suffocating due to her long braid being wrapped around his face or hell, just from the fact that she was so damn close to him. One morning he'd woken himself up right before he tossed his arm over her sleeping body, seeking to hold her. He always kept his hands to himself. It was already awkward enough when she'd fall asleep with her hand on his arm or in his hair. Once she'd realized the first night that he wouldn't, that he _couldn't_ , kick her out, she'd kept at it.

This pull that Daryl felt towards her wasn't new, he soon realized during one of the moments that he'd caught himself searching for her. When he'd told her to get in his truck when they were still at the quarry, he'd started something. He didn't know what it was, but it was something. It was different and he still didn't know if he liked it. He couldn't control it. And while they strived so hard to appear that they could, Dixons were never able to control themselves.

Apparently her sister had several choice words to say when she'd awakened days prior to find Beth's bed empty and Beth down at the campsite helping Carol prepare Spam and eggs. Glenn had been working that jaw of his to the point that he'd told Maggie that Beth was seen coming out of Daryl's tent again. He knew that the group was forming their own narrative in regards to what was going on between he and Beth and now her sister was going to jump onto that bandwagon too.

Daryl's ears had become so hot when he finally understood what the brunette was insinuating but he found that he couldn't look away from where they were arguing on the porch.

Hershel had just sat there on the porch, his eyes on Daryl though he sat clear across the yard, while Maggie yelled at Beth as if she were a child, and Beth stood there and took it. It certainly didn't help his case that Beth continued to wear a carefree smile on her face, as if she were a million miles away the entire time that her sister berated her.

Beth and Hershel had a conversation following that, an attempt on Beth's end to explain that nothing weird, like Walsh kept trying to say, was going on and that she preferred the outdoors with him as opposed to her bedroom.

Daryl only knew most of this because Beth had made it a point to fill him in on the daily goings-on at Farm Greene, while she lay on his pillow, much to his dismay. He thought she was an idiot, wasting her time trailing after him. Daryl scoffed to himself and shook his head.

The wooden cottontail rabbit that he'd been working on was starting to actually look like a rabbit. Daryl's lips twitched at the mental image he'd conjured up of Beth with rabbit ears framing her head. Damn.

"Stupid," he said to himself. Hearing her laughter, Daryl lifted his eyes to find her…again. When he did, his face flushed red-hot in anger, almost instantly. Jimmy had his hand in that very blonde, and very curly, hair of hers and they were both laughing.

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **Hi guys. I just wanted to take the time to thank you all for your kind words! I truly appreciate it and it makes me super happy whenever I receive a review or a favorite.**

 **Next: Chupacabra**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

He stood up quickly dropping the wooden rabbit, blinded by rage. He was seething and he was becoming even more upset because he didn't quite realize why he was so mad. Daryl made his way across the field, his crossbow slung across his back.

"Aye! Dixon!" He heard on his right halting his angry steps to the fence. Daryl glared towards the person interrupting him before turning his eyes back on _her_. It was Walsh.

Daryl tilted his head toward the man, his murderous gaze still focused on the laughing Jimmy and Beth, waiting for Walsh to speak his piece before he could resume his own task.

"We're gearin' up to go teach these people how to shoot. Gon' need you to give up that wild goose chase for Sophia. We can't have you gettin' killed out there. Could use your help," Shane paused when he noticed Daryl's grip on his crossbow strap tightening. Was the tracker even paying any attention to him?

The ex-cop followed Daryl's angry gaze until his own dark eyes settled on the crazy blonde girl.

"Oh, I get it," Shane muttered under his breath with a snicker before clearing his throat before speaking louder, "Yeah, that's the boyfriend."

Daryl's eyes flashed over at Walsh. That caught his attention. A myriad of unfamiliar emotions were suddenly filtering through his mind. They weren't unfamiliar because he hadn't felt them before. He had certainly felt hurt before. They were unfamiliar because he'd never felt this way because of a woman outside of his family before.

"You didn't know?" Shane grinned slyly, "Ya'll been playin' house in that tent of yours for the last few days and she didn't tell you about boyfriend Jimbo?"

Daryl glanced quickly back over at Beth and Jimmy before turning on his heels. He looked around the campsite to see that everyone was making their way to where Rick stood but he wouldn't be joining them. From his peripheral view, he could see Walsh throw his hands up, probably upset that Daryl wasn't going to be his lackey. He strode over to his tent intent on dismantling it, attempting to ignore the constant echo of Beth's giggling that was slamming against the walls of his skull. He wished that they would find a way out.

He looked around the inside of the tent, his eyes falling on her bag. And his blanket that had become hers in the short time they'd spent together. He grabbed the bag and blanket, tossing them outside of the tent, his space that she had invaded. Grabbing his own bag, he took off towards the stables.

XXXX

Beth didn't see Daryl anywhere. He had been whittling at the campsite close to their tent when she went to help Jimmy with fence repairs. When they were done, she looked towards the campsite, her bright eyes seeking him out. She was hoping to go with him to find Sophia.

She'd gone to the tent in search of him but had found her bag resting outside of it. Confusion and worry set in.

Beth made her way over to where her father stood talking to Rick by the wraparound porch.

"I'm not havin' it Rick. You need to control your people. Jimmy is my responsibility. He isn't my kin but he may as well be," Hershel spoke sternly. The old man glanced up as his daughter neared them.

"I'll have a word with Shane. It was my understanding that Jimmy had your permission," Rick bit out frustratingly with a slight shake of his head.

Ah. So Jimmy hadn't asked her father if it would be okay for him to learn how to shoot and handle a gun with Shane and the group he'd taken off into the woods. She understood her father's protectiveness, all too well, but Jimmy was an adult.

Clearing her throat Beth interrupted in a timid voice, "Do you know where Daryl went?"

Both Rick and her father cast their gazes upon her. Rick had a small smile on his face and her father's eyes crinkled grimly.

It was clear that's Hershel disapproved of Beth and the presumable "shacking up" that she was doing with hunter. Beth had assured him that nothing untoward was going on between the two despite Shane Walsh's misgivings but Hershel still worried. Especially because of how fragile Beth had once seemed. In his mind's eye, Hershel could not shake how much smaller...how fragile...the blonde girl had looked in that hospital those months ago. He just hoped that she hadn't latched onto this man, this Daryl, to set herself up for hurt. She'd made it out of Atlanta by some miracle, safe and sound, and he wouldn't get in the way of her happiness.

He knew that Walsh was a problem so he would listen to Beth overall, but he didn't have to like it.

"He took a horse. Went off to search for Carol's girl," Rick spoke after a beat, his eyes analyzing Beth's face curiously.

Beth could feel her eyebrows dip into a frown.

"On his own?"

Rick nodded, his curious features filling with humor. For what reason, Beth did not know.

"On my horse?" She spoke slowly still trying to comprehend.

"Yes, Nelly," Hershel affirmed shaking his head, "Nervous Nelly."

Rick moved his eyes over to Hershel quickly, "There somethin' I should be worried about?"

"No. But there's something Daryl should be worried about. Nelly gets spooked by a leaf fallin' from a tree for God's sake," Beth said throwing up her hands in clear annoyance. Why would he go off on his own with her horse like that? He'd known that she'd wanted to go with him on the search.

He was asking for trouble.

"I'm goin' to need to have a talk with Daryl," Rick muttered his hand going to his face to wipe at his sweaty brow.

"So am I," Beth sighed with a roll of her eyes. To that, Rick smirked before making his way back to the campsite.

"I wouldn't worry, Bethy. He seemed…capable enough," Hershel reassured his youngest daughter. He didn't like having to do so.

"Why don't you go help Maggie tend to the chicken coop. Some of the wiring came loose and needs repairin'," Hershel directed. Giving her tasks would keep her mind good and occupied.

XXXX

Beth sat at the campsite waiting. Just…waiting. When she'd finished at the chicken coop, she'd made herself scarce. Maggie kept asking her strange questions and giving her odd looks as if she was trying to figure something out and it made her wary. The looks only increased when Nelly made it back to the farm, causing Beth to bite at her lip nervously when Daryl was still nowhere to be found.

Why was she so concerned about this man? Maggie had asked her this, but Beth found that she didn't even have an answer for herself. She and Daryl, whatever they were, friends? She needed him. He filled a void that she'd been sinking into. She couldn't lose that.

She knew that it had only been a handful of weeks that she'd been with the group but it felt like a lifetime and she wanted to live. She could only really live with him near. She knew it was a stupid sentiment but she knew that it was also her truth.

Beth move her gaze downward breaking her focus on the tree line that was behind the stables. There was something small and familiar on the ground. She leaned down to pick it up, noticing that it was the small piece of wood that Daryl had been whittling on whenever his hands had become idle.

She ran her fingers along the unfinished project, her feelings starting to overcome her.

He had really gone and left her.

"WALKER! Walker!"

Beth jumped up, nearly dropping the partially finished, wooden bunny rabbit. It was Andrea. She had taken point on top of the RV.

Everyone appeared then, grabbing onto whatever weapons they had. Stuffing the wooden rabbit into her back pocket, Beth made to grab her own knife that she kept in her boot. The only reason that she was wearing the damn boots was because she thought that she'd be off with Daryl in the woods.

"I can shoot it from here," Andrea exclaimed eagerly from her position on the RV.

"No guns, Andrea," Shane shouted out, his weapon in hand. He hurriedly started limping after the others, his leg still bothering him from the night that Otis died.

"No! Hershel wants to deal with walkers," Rick yelled out his call landing on deaf ears as everyone moved closer to the walker.

"Shit," Rick muttered to himself before following the others.

Beth hung back and cupped her hands around her eyes, something about the walker's swagger tickling the back of her mind. That tickling feeling was a persistent one. She ran over to the side of the RV and climbed the ladder. Andrea was standing there holding up binoculars. She hadn't even noticed Beth standing there, her primary focus on the walker. And proving herself.

"I got it," she whispered dropping the binoculars and aiming the shot gun she wore strapped across her body.

Beth launched herself towards her the binoculars unable to ignore the feeling that things weren't as they seemed. Pushing the binoculars against her own face, she looked towards the looming danger.

The figure was hard to make out, the sun making it difficult to see but the walker seemed to be holding something large and bulky. Walkers didn't hold anything except for their next meal, Beth quickly realized, and that's when it clicked. That was a crossbow.

Beth could see the group starting to surround the figure.

"Andrea…don't shoot," Beth said slowly, the back of her throat going dry, as recognition of the figure finally clicked.

The other blonde woman scoffed loudly, "I can make it."

Beth lowered the binoculars to glare at the older woman when she noticed Andrea's fingers tightening around the trigger.

"NO!" Beth exclaimed launching herself at the older woman just before the shot rang out.

They both heard yelling from the others immediately after the shot.

"What the hell?!" Andrea yelled pushing Beth off of her, angry at the possibility of having missed her shot. She scrambled to her feet while ripping her binoculars out of Beth's shaking hands. She held the tool up hurriedly, noticing that she'd made her shot. A smile started to turn up the corners of her mouth before disappearing just as quickly.

"Shit," Andrea whispered guiltily, "I shot Daryl."

Beth's eyes widened at the confirmation. She nearly threw herself down the ladder, her hands and ribs hitting each of the rungs painfully as she slid down from the top of the RV. She could hear Andrea trailing behind her as she took off towards the group but she didn't care. She couldn't care. Her focus was set on one person only.

* * *

 **Note:**

 **This chapter was ridiculously difficult to write. I apologize for the lateness. I'm feeling a bit self-conscious about it so please tell me what you think.**

 **As I stated, this is a slow-burn but our favorite couple might light a few more coals and set some things in motion in the next chapter. I've had most of it written since I started this fic, and I love it.**

 **More action and uncovered secrets coming soon. Thank you guys so much for your love!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"You left me." Beth's bottom lip was trembling but her eyes were hard. It had been about an hour since he'd been patched up by Beth and her father.

"I wasn't goin' to die," Daryl spoke sarcastically recalling words that he remembered her quoting often.

"Andrea almost killed you, Daryl. Not to mention, you look like you fell off a cliff,"Beth exclaimed anger starting to twist her features.

"That's 'cause I did because of that stupid ass horse. What the hell you in here for? Go on and get the hell away from me." Daryl pulled the blankets covering him closer around his neck, wincing at the pain in his lower belly. He was getting annoyed at her persistence, his thoughts were racing and his mind becoming foggy.

"No. You don't get to do this. You don't get to push me away because you're upset. We had an agreement. When you go, I go. And you _left_ me."

"The hell you talkin' about?" His voice was gruff, cracking in some places. It was making him uncomfortable, her concern. And he became a dick when he was uncomfortable. Well, normally he did but with this fresh wound in his gut, and the Vicodin or whatever the hell Hershel had given him, coursing through his system, he couldn't lash out.

Beth crossed her arms and walked over to the window trying to compose herself. Maggie and Glenn were having some sort of heated discussion near the chicken coop and she was curious but she had Daryl to focus on.

"When I crashed the truck," Beth spoke softly.

Daryl closed his eyes with a low groan as he faintly remembered the girl's strangeness on the highway. It seemed so long ago. His head was throbbing from the bullet graze and it was made worse with his need to recall all that he could regarding the blonde girl.

"You told me that you wouldn't leave me. And you did. When Nelly came back without you…." Beth was facing the window but Daryl could tell that she had started crying because her words were watery. Shit.

"What is your deal? Why you latchin' on to me like some sort of God-damned leech?" Daryl cursed loudly, his voice a grunt.

"I don't know. I really don't know but for some stupid reason I care about your dumbass," Beth had turned around then, her watery blue eyes shone brightly with tears.

"Why? Is it 'cause I saved your life at the camp when Amy died? That it?" Daryl questioned angrily.

"How dare you." Beth stated lowly, the tremble that was in her voice earlier, gone. She made her way closer to the bed. Her tears seemed to evaporate and Daryl could of feel the angry heat radiating off of the blonde woman.

"I would have given anythin' to take her place if it could get Andrea to stop lookin' at me like I murdered her. But I can't. And I'm not…I REFUSE… to walk around like I'm already dead. I did enough of that in Atlanta. I appreciate what you did, savin' me after Amy pushed me out of the way, I really do. But you're," Beth paused, taking a moment to hug herself, "You're a jackass."

Daryl brought his hand up to his face gingerly touching the bandage on his forehead. He could barely follow the conversation anymore with how badly his head was throbbing.

"Yeah, I'm a dick," Daryl said softly with a wince. He watched as Beth lowered herself onto the bed, all fight gone from her. Her face had instantly morphed into one of concern.

"You okay?" Beth reached her hand out to fix the bandage tape that Daryl had disrupted, but her hand never made it there. Daryl had grabbed it midair, despite the pain that she was sure he was experiencing, and he brought their hands down onto his chest.

"The hell your daddy give me?" he asked, his speech was starting to slur a bit.

"Somethin' strong for the pain I'm guessin'," Beth supplied with a shrug. She could feel the slow, steady thumping of his heart under their still-clasped hands. She could see that he was loosing his battle with sleep. His narrow blue eyes that had been half-lidded and unfocused, were closed.

"He alright?" A voice came from the hallway. Right, the door hadn't been closed. More than likely everyone who happened to be inside had heard their conversation. The big, open farm house didn't allow much room for secrets.

Beth turned her gaze away from Daryl's face to see that it was Jimmy.

"Yeah. We got him all patched up. I just hope he doesn't go and do somethin' stupid to pull at his stitches," Beth nodded, her voice quiet.

"Right. From what I've seen, you're goin' to have to nail him down just so he can heal up," Jimmy chuckled, his hazel eyes holding just a tinge of mirth. His kind eyes reminded Beth of a time long ago, when they were mischievous children.

Beth offered a smile back without a response before returning her attention to the sleeping man who still clasped her hand tightly against his chest.

"He don't look so scary when he's sleepin', huh? Maybe that's why you like him so much," Jimmy said then. He could see from where he was standing that Beth's face was pink and that her eyes were squeezed shut in embarrassment. She still kept hold of the hunter's hand though.

"Don't be shy now. You're the one who's been bunkin' with him. God knows what else y'all have been up to," Jimmy kept on, laughter behind his words.

Beth was looking at him now, her cheeks rosy red and her eyes shining in embarrassment. Jimmy wouldn't have known it but Beth's mind had gone straight to that night that she'd practically thrown herself at the currently-wounded man.

"Alright, alright. I'll leave you guys alone," Jimmy chuckled with a wave of his hands. He took his leave. Beth's eyes lingered on the doorway for a minute before moving them back over to Daryl.

She visibly jumped when she saw that he was awake, his sleepy blue eyes staring right at her.

"You wanna go after him?" Daryl questioned gruffly, opening up the hand that held hers.

Beth regarded him quizzically before widening her eyes in understanding.

"Of course not," she spoke seriously still wondering if she'd missed something. Daryl stared at her evenly before releasing a puff of air and closing his eyes once more.

Beth stared at him as his brow line relaxed and his face softened. She figured that he'd finally fallen asleep when five more minutes had passed.

"That deal go both ways?"

Beth tightened her grip on his hand then.

Maybe he was right but perhaps not in the way that his angry words had suggested. Except she wasn't a leech. Maybe she latched on to him like a spark did to a match because he kept her alive.

XXXX

The very next day they were both back in the tent. Daryl had refused to be stuck in that bed any longer than he had to be, and because it was a flesh wound, Hershel had allowed it.

Daryl was lying down on an fold-up cot that Beth had found in her family's cellar so that he wouldn't need to worry about sleeping so low on the ground and disturbing his stitches. She was off somewhere washing laundry while he rested. Or tried to rest.

He couldn't. Not with that girl in his head. Truth be told he was a little embarrassed when he woke up that morning, in pain, but content. His hands had moved across the bed, seeking her out, even before he'd opened his eyes but she wasn't there. Her father was though, having nudged him awake to check on his wounds.

Hershel had regarded him with a careful, even stare, even though his hands were on Daryl's side moving meticulously to check his wound.

"Did you help her get out of Atlanta?"

Daryl shook his head. He stared at the veterinarian, silently wondering which direction this conversation was going to go in.

"Do you know why she was there in the first place?"

"Somethin' about her bein' locked in a hospital, no thanks to y'all," Daryl let out with a scoff. He felt defensive then. For her. And he couldn't bring himself to feel shameful over this feeling for once.

Hershel looked away then, moving to grab more antiseptic and gauze. He didn't miss the defensiveness from the wounded hunter and that mere statement from Daryl helped clear a few worries that he held. But only a few.

"I expect she'll tell you why at some point, so I won't disrespect her by telling you myself however, there's somethin' you need to understand about my daughter," Hershel paused as he placed a cotton ball over the opening of the rubbing alcohol bottle he'd grabbed, "When that girl cares, she cares. If you're plannin' on movin' on, you need to do so before she gets more attached to you than she already is."

Daryl was silent and he resisted the urge to squint his eyes shut as Hershel pushed that alcohol-soaked cotton ball against the stitched wound. _Sting_.

"At first I was surprised to see that she'd made it out of the city alive. I thought that you must've saved her and that she felt obligated to repay you in _kindness_ ," Hershel continued, "But now I'm not so sure. Whatever it is that is goin' on between the two of you, it'll do well for you to remember that if you hurt her, it'll be a mark that you'll bear on your soul. And that'll hurt just as much as the ones that you already carry on your back."

 _Sting_.

* * *

 **Note** :

Hopefully this chapter shows that Beth and Jimmy are in no relationship. More on that later. Beth has picked up on the fact that Daryl kinda likes having her around.

Daryl realized a few things about himself and so did Hershel.

Next: Daryl and Andrea have a conversation. Maybe we light a fire. Aw hell, we are striking the hell out of that match. Daryl asks Beth about Atlanta. And Glenn tells the group something super important.

Next week's chapter may be a little late. I have a lot of con prep (Tidewater Comicon) that I'll be dealing with. Art stuffs. So if may be a hindrance when it comes to our Bethyl-verse.

I appreciate you guys sooo much. It means so much to me when you care to leave a review.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Daryl had long-known that having idle hands wasn't something that he could get used to because it always made his mind move at top speed, provoking thoughts and worries to overcome him.

Hershel's words, though spoken nearly three hours prior, were still rolling around through his head. Damn it.

He really wish that he knew what happened to his whittling project. Someone had probably chucked it into the fire. He picked up one of his bolts and started to poke holes through the mesh window of the tent. It already had holes in it anyway.

He heard movement at the entrance of his tent and carefully turned his body towards the sound.

"Daryl?" It was Andrea.

"Yeah?"

"I feel like shit. I could've killed you," Andrea spoke solemnly, her hands clasping tightly to an old, worn novel that she held. Daryl shrugged, his hawk-eyes picking up on Andrea's body language. She was tense, more than likely expecting a blow-up from him..

"Well you didn't."

"I wanted to apologize sooner but that girl's been hovering around you since. I think she's killed me several times over in her head already," Andrea spoke bitterly but still unsure.

"She ain't like that," Daryl found himself saying, "But I wouldn't blame her if she was. We're good though. I ain't dead. Don't plan on goin' anytime soon so we'll leave it at that."

Andrea scoffed, "If you say so. You should still be careful around her though. Word on the farm is that she's well-experienced when it comes to having people die over her."

"So says the woman who shot me," Daryl bit out. He could feel anger welling up. His defensive nature was flowing through his veins. Not only from Andrea's biased bullshit but also from his confused feelings regarding Beth and his lack of knowledge about the younger woman.

Sure she, Beth, wore her heart on her sleeve, but she was also really good at keeping secrets. Probably better than he was. Everyone seemed to know _something_ about her past, and he didn't know nothing about nothing. Hell, he didn't even really comprehend that he wanted to know until now.

"I _am_ sorry," Andrea said softly, seeming to understand that she'd overstepped. She held the old book out towards him. Daryl's face softened a touch before he took the book from her and fanned through the pages.

"How you know I can read?"

Andrea scoffed loudly at the man with a shake of her head before turning to leave the tent.

XXX

"Daryl", Beth whispered softly as she entered the tent. She'd been away from him all day tending to all sorts of chores on the farm that reminded her of her childhood. It was dark now and she was a little upset that while she was surrounded by people she cared about, they weren't _him_. And she'd felt lonely.

"Are you ever goin' to let me sleep, girl?"

Beth quirked a blonde eyebrow at the man. He was propped up on the cot with a book in his hands and a dimly lit, battery-powered lantern beside him.

"You're ridiculous," Beth said with a roll of her eyes. She nearly collapsed on the floor of the tent, leaning her back against the cot's frame.

"What's up with you?" The hunter asked when Beth started to roll her shoulders and uttering small groans.

"Farm work is hard work is all," she answered turning her head to offer a small smile. When Daryl lowered his eyes back down to his book Beth lifted her arms, hands clutched, hoping to pop her back for some form of relief. It didn't work, only serving to make her back feel more sore than it already was.

She sighed loudly before leaning her head back on the cot. Daryl tried to ignore her, as he often tried to do by focusing on the book that Andrea had lent him but the words were starting to blur. He tried to ignore her when she reached back to lift her hair from where it was pressed between the cot and her back. He tried to ignore it when her hair landed unceremoniously, with a plop, onto the cot. He _still_ tried to ignore her when her shiny blonde hair, no longer tangled, tickled his arm.

He could not ignore her when the fragrance of something floral and sweet, much like honeysuckle, invaded his senses. Had she smelled this nice the entire time?

No. She hadn't. She must have found some shampoo and he hated it. It was invasive and intoxicating to his senses, the way that it made him want to follow the fragrance trail in the air. She was a proverbial pie on a windowsill and he fought grabbing a slice so badly that his hands were clutching that book so hard that he could probably rip it in two.

Daryl let out a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding before he placed the book under his pillow. Bracing himself, actually careful of his injury, he swung his legs off of the side of the cot, his socked feet making contact with the ground. For once he was shoeless and she wasn't.

He chanced a look over at Beth to see that her head was still tilted upward onto the side of the bed but her eyes were open and she was gazing up at him, confused, with low-lidded, tired eyes.

"Come on," Daryl mumbled, gesturing with his hands toward himself, "Scoot over here." It took Beth a moment to register what the hunter meant before she figured it out and scooted over his left foot, her back still against the cot, but her body between his legs, his knees hugging her upper arms.

He knew this was a bad idea. God, did he know it but he pushed those thoughts away before placing his hands on her shoulders. He swallowed nervously as he started to knead and massage her sore muscles. He nearly ran and tucked his tail when she let out a small sigh of appreciation.

"I heard what my dad said to you earlier," Beth said so suddenly that Daryl was sure she'd been dwelling on it all day. He didn't say anything back, his focus on working loose the tight muscles of her pale shoulders. This was the first time he'd seen her in jeans and a tank top. He missed the loose fitting dresses that he was accustomed to seeing on her. Mostly because he couldn't see the feminine contours of her body through the dresses.

"It was rude, what he said. Some of it was even untrue…I think," Beth continued lightly. She stopped speaking, enjoying the painful yet soothing pressure of his hands on her shoulders. Soon she was humming.

"What you mean?" Daryl questioned, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Beth stopped her humming and turned her head slightly to peer up at his face.

"Me caring about things. I don't know if that's true or not. I would cry all the time at the dumbest stuff. But then when I went to Atlanta…the tears all dried up. Like, I didn't care about anythin' no matter how hard I tried. I didn't even cry when Amy died. Is this my punishment for trying to… You know, I only really _felt_ somethin' when I thought you were dead yesterday." While Beth spoke freely, her words were disjointed.

She smiled a tiny smile before turning her head back towards the entrance of the tent. Daryl didn't speak but his hands were stopped at the top of her shoulders.

"You wanna know how I got out of the city, don't you?"

"Your business," Daryl shrugged though he knew that she couldn't see him. Hell yes he was curious but Daryl was never one to insert himself into someone else's business even though Beth had definitely worked herself into his world.

"But you still want to know. Everyone does," Beth sighed. She was nervously tugging at the bracelets that adorned her wrists.

"Go on and tell me then. I know you're dyin' to let it out."

"That's the problem. I'm not dyin'. I didn't die. Because someone always does before me. There was a nurse at the hospital who would harass the women there. Always askin' for returns on small favors. He helped me get out of the hospital," Beth started, her voice growing cold and listless, "JUST when we made it outside, he was grabbed by one of the women who had turned and she bit him. And I laughed, Daryl. I laughed so hard at that. She was one of the people that he'd assault often."

Beth could feel Daryl's fingertips gripping her shoulders tightly as she spoke. If there was one thing he hated, abuse was definitely on the top of the list. He wanted to ask if she'd ever had to return any favors herself but he didn't. Wasn't his business.

"Kinda poetic," Daryl spoke, shrugging yet again.

"I thought so. I kept moving after that. Took me two days to completely make it out after the bombs. I have no idea how I survived those. I got so lucky. Or I was given the most perfect punishment," she paused as if suddenly remembering something, "I met up with a lady and her two kids after that and we had to cover ourselves with the guts of a walker who'd been dead for a few days just to make it to the highway. I was holding onto the hand of her 8 year old when a walker pulled him away from me. I was careless. I lost them right after that. Merle found me though, after stumbling up the hills like an idiot."

Daryl remembered then their conversation in the truck that seemed so long ago, about her carelessness. He grimaced at how close to home he'd actually hit. It was strange listening to this carefree, beautiful woman explain how cold hearted she was. Daryl knew that she wasn't that bad but it was difficult to hear all the same. He didn't know how he knew...but he knew.

"What you think you're being punished for?" Punishment. Now that's something he was well familiar with. Being punished by a higher power, he wasn't so sure.

Beth's shoulders tensed up beneath his hands before she slowly lifted her wrist, pulling down her bracelets. There was a shiny and pink puckered scar lining her wrist.

Daryl furrowed his brows but he didn't speak. He would've never guessed that Beth would ever attempt to take her own life. It was either a really weak moment or a strong one on her part to make a decision like that.

Seconds later he started to feel like complete shit as he recalled the moment in the stables when he'd taken her knife and then when she was almost attacked in the woods. Oh he was a dick.

"Yeah," Beth mumbled solemnly, "The crazy girl did a crazy thing. I know what everyone says about me and I sometimes have to wonder if it's true."

Idle hands again, Daryl's hands found themselves at the base of her neck, his fingers toying with the wispy hair at the nape of her neck.

He had been one of those people to think that she had a few screws loose but he hadn't honestly believed it, now that he thought back on it. He could almost admit that she intrigued him with the way she did things. But he wouldn't. And he wouldn't ask her why she did it. It was her business. But he felt for her. From what he did know about her, she didn't deserve any sort of punishment.

"I was so embarrassed at how stupid I was. I didn't want to die, but they didn't care. They still went by the word of the doctors. They went through the courts and had me admitted."

Beth turned around then, so suddenly that Daryl found his fingers caught in her hair on the back of her head reminding him of the last time his hands had been tangled there. She was on her knees in front of him, her face level with his chest and her hands on his knees. If someone was to walk in, they definitely looked to be in a compromising position. But no one usually bothered him after dark, other than her.

Tucking his chin, Daryl looked down his nose at her to see that she was frowning and contemplating something deeply. It almost looked as if she was pouting.

"What?" Daryl questioned breathily.

"I'm sorry for invadin' your space like I've been doin'. If you really don't want me botherin' you, I'll leave."

Yet again, she had him at a loss for words. Daryl's fingers twitched against her scalp gently causing Beth to hitch her breath and close her eyes, her facial features smoothing out almost immediately.

Breathing out deeply, Daryl took a beat before stating, "Nah, you ain't gotta leave."

At those words, Beth released a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She allowed her head to move forward then, her forehead coming to rest against Daryl's shoulder. His hands were still fiddling with her hair.

"I don't want anythin' from you Daryl. It's just…when you're near, I can feel, you know?"

The hunter was officially way out of his element, his flight response keyed on high. Daryl moved to pull his hands from Beth's mop of blonde waves, only to have her own hands gripping his wrists tightly against her chest. He could feel her heart thumping rapidly. Or was it his?

"What're you afraid of?" Beth whispered. Though her voice was low, Daryl could still hear the amused lilt present in her words.

"Ain't afraid of nothin'," he responded almost too quickly. He felt like an idiot because he still couldn't pick up what was going on through her mind but it seemed like she was reading, ripping out, and _burning_ each and every page of the yellow-paged tome of _The_ _Life of Daryl Dixon_.

"Prove it." Her bright blue eyes stared directly into his, challenging him. Her fingers had slackened against his wrists. Wasting no time, Daryl pulled her closer causing her to gasp loudly. His hands were back in that familiar spot on the back of her head, fingers intertwined throughout her hair. They were but an inch apart and he could feel her warm breath tickling his lips.

He was hesitating because he wanted to do it. He wanted to pour his heart and soul into this woman and he didn't even know why.

 _You know why. Stop bein' such a pussy._

As they often had in the past, Merle's disembodied words served to motivate him in the reverse-psychology bullshit method that could only come from him. Just before he was finally going to push his lips against hers, he felt hers upon his. Soft and gentle; so unlike the first time she kissed him. Beth Greene was not a patient woman and right then for that split second, Daryl was stuck between wanting her to continue her sweet assault and him taking the lead.

God, he was getting lost in her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He started to kiss her in return, ready to reignite the fire that she started the first night they were on the farm. No. She wanted him to prove something and that's what he was going to do. Stitches. Be. Damned.

Daryl made a gentle fist, his fingers clenching Beth's hair tightly. A little rough, but still with care, he tugged her head back. Beth's blue-gray eyes were wide, dazed yet defiant and her small pink mouth was open as if she was ready to say something to express her discontent.

"Wha-."

"Shut up, Greene."

With that, Daryl closed the distance between he and Beth while simultaneously lowering himself to the floor, knees first. Their mouths molded together both sloppy and in near perfect sync. And it was all on Daryl this time. Even if she had initially coaxed him.

He practically inhaled the small cry of surprise that came from the woman as her back hit the pile of blankets she'd spread out on the floor of the tent earlier. His body covered hers, his elbows propping him up just enough to keep from crushing her with his weight. It felt like they were rushing with nowhere to go. All he could feel was Beth and it was like they couldn't get close enough. His lips moved against hers with so much fervor, she'd be sure to have bruises on her own. And she _liked_ it, matching each movement that he made with his mouth, and with his tongue, with just as much ferocity. Beth's head was spinning, reeling even as she arched her smaller body against his as an attempt to get closer, to _feel_ even more. And feel she did. Her hands had moved to the ripped arm openings of his flannel and they were creeping towards his back.

And then his lips were once again off of hers. And she whimpered at the loss of contact. She fucking whimpered. Jesus.

Daryl slowly untangled his now-shaking hands, from the woman's hair. He rolled over to the side onto his back, his breathing labored. He could feel her breathing heavily next to him. It felt like he'd run a marathon when he was sure he'd barely gone a lap! With the air filling and expanding in his lungs, he could feel the pain of his bolt wound make its way toward the front of his mind. He brought his hand to the bandage on his side. Damn.

Daryl smirked before wincing at his idiocy as the pain from his muscle injury returned. He was sure it'd been made worse when he'd practically thrown the two of them to the ground like they were in some damn romance novel.

It was worth it. _She_ was worth it, he decided. Besides he had something to prove and he hadn't felt this good in a real long time.

"You goin' to kick me out now?" Beth breathed, light laughter lining her voice.

"Nah. I'm gonna need you to check these stitches."

* * *

 **Notes:**

Don't hate me if there are any errors. I wanted to post this baby. I love this chapter.

I decided to postpone Glenn's reveal until the next because I really wanted Beth and Daryl to have a moment. I meant for it to be a transitional build-up. Awkward and tense. And I've always known that I was going to write this Beth in such a way. I feel as if she's somewhat of a reflection of the Beth who "puts it all away" but at the same time burns it all down. She really is a force.

Next: let's open up the barn.

Tell me if I delivered, yeah? I always love lengthy feedback. (I really hope the alerts are good now)


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

She was tucked under his arm; her doing, not his. Daryl's hand rested on her shoulder, his thumb making small circles, as she snored gently against his side.

Goodness. What the hell was he doing out here with the farmer's daughter?

He was developing feelings for the girl, that's what. He had a sense of what was going on because he'd never felt like this about anyone before. It'd been a couple weeks since they'd arrived on the farm and since that night when Beth had told him how she'd escaped the city, she'd been sleeping next to him. On him.

He was fucking terrified of this girl.

Their group would often give them awkward glances when they'd take their meals by the fire and she'd lean against him casually…and Daryl Dixon would not bat a single lash at her proximity as if he expected her to be there.

Every other day she'd follow him through the woods in search of that little girl, never mind that the trail had long-since ended. She knew that he couldn't stop until he found her. And there was certainly admiration there.

Daryl couldn't say that he minded when her lips would touch his. He never initiated it but he never turned away from her either. It didn't happen as often as he would've liked, because she was always hesitant, confident but quelling on the idea that he may still kick her out. And she always made sure to do so in the tent as if she knew that it would otherwise make him uncomfortable.

She'd stop when he'd freeze and being the sweet, terrifying woman that she was, she never took it personal.

When she was especially exhausted from helping the group dig trenches or after a long hot day of assisting _Jimmy_ with the fences, she'd welcome his, Daryl's, warm, work-roughened hands as they kneaded and softened her swollen and overworked muscles. It was becoming routine. One that he was starting to warm up to.

He felt comfortable around her. Well as comfortable as he could be. On occasion, he'd openly flinch when she'd move to clutch him close to her in the middle of the night but her soft, sleepy touch worked quickly to eradicate his wariness.

They slept on the ground. He hadn't slept on the cot at all since he'd proven himself to her. Daryl smirked to himself as he mused over that mind-numbing lip lock battle of a kiss. He felt a small sprout of confidence become unearthed in his mind where none had been allowed to grow.

He recalled a statement that he had heard Lori Grimes mutter under her breath when he blew her off when she'd asked him to be her errand boy for something or another, "He's sweet as a peach to that girl but as rotten as a spoiled apple to everyone else".

The hunter released her arm, his fingers dancing up her shoulder until they made it to the wispy curls on her hairline. He felt her shiver and he fought the instinctual urge to freeze. She was awake. He hadn't even noticed the change in her breathing. Was he that comfortable with her now? The answer was probably yes.

"I like when you do that," Beth's soft groggy voice whispered into his chest. That made him freeze.

"It's okay, Dixon." He could hear the smile in her voice and he groaned quite audibly when she tightened the arm that she had wrapped around his waist and threw her left leg over his.

He hadn't yet completely healed from the arrow in his side but he had healed well enough for her to know that the groan he emitted wasn't caused by pain. Well, not _that_ kind of pain anyway.

She was turning him on. Just from that little harmless action of hers…that was followed by more _harmless_ action. She was wiggling around, attempting to make herself comfortable again.

"Keep still," Daryl grunted, forcing himself stiff in an attempt to control his body. Beth emitted a soft chuckle, the light rumbling vibrating through Daryl's chest. Her hand that rested on his chest started to tap lightly to whatever beat she had going on in her head. She hummed a few notes before letting out a small sigh.

He noticed that about her too. She was always humming but she never sang.

"Why aren't you asleep?"

Daryl stared up at the ceiling of the tent not too keen on answering her. She was always the proprietor of unanswerable questions.

"Hey?" Beth whispered propping herself up on her elbow. She stared down at him, curiosity written all over her face. Daryl was doing all that he could to avoid her gaze…which consisted only of him averting his eyes.

It was still the early a.m. so the only light at their disposal was from the low-burning camp fire. Beth searched his face for any indication on why the stubborn man seemed to be ignoring her.

"Should I go on inside?" Beth questioned dejectedly, unsure. Maybe he was finally sick of her; something she'd been fearful of from the start. The hunter breathed out and Beth felt as Daryl's hand took place at her hip, squeezing gently.

"Go back to sleep." He still wasn't looking at her but in his peripherals he could see the blonde woman start to lower her head. He could feel as she smiled into his chest.

 _Yeah, he was as sweet as a fuckin' Georgia peach._

xxxxx

"What is it Glenn? Spit it out," Shane spoke in an amused tone. His hands were in fists on his hips, his body language a reflection of his haughty nature.

Everyone was sitting around the campfire eating breakfast, (save for Rick who'd gone off into the woods with Hershel and Jimmy) with healthy scoops of eggs and baked beans on their plates. When Glenn approached the group, a basket of peaches in his arms, he called out for everyone's attention.

It was obvious that the Korean man was nervous, his knuckles turning white from his tight grip on the peach basket. Seeing this, Beth stood up from her position next to Daryl and offering a smile to Glenn, she grabbed the basket from him.

Walsh's eyes followed her for several seconds as she walked around offering peaches to the group. Daryl's baby blues watched him, a tight-lipped frown forming on his face mid-chew. He was itching for the opportunity to get his hands on that man. He just needed an excuse and Shane Walsh was doing everything in his power to create one for him.

"There are walkers in the barn," Glenn breathed out. He sighed heavily in relief after the reveal of his secret.

Everyone was silent. Frozen. There was no sound until Walsh cleared his threat, "Say again?"

Glenn started to stumble over his words, unable to form a coherent sentence before Dale put his hand on his shoulder and answered for him.

"You heard him right. Hershel thinks that they're just sick," Dale spoke.

"You're tellin' me that we've been sleepin' with walkers in our backyard?" Shane spat out.

He turned towards the barn.

"Hershel sees those things as sick people," Dale reiterated before continuing, "His wife is in there. Neighbors."

There was a sharp gasp, more like a gulp, that came from Beth then. She dropped the basket of peaches and brought her hand to her chest in shock, her jean-clad knees shaking. She was gasping for air, blue eyes wide and turning red as she struggled to fully catch her breath.

Dale looked towards the young woman, pity stretching across his features at the realization that he spilled that bit of knowledge as unceremoniously as he did.

"Fuck," Daryl mumbled. He stood up, throwing his crossbow over his shoulder. He practically tossed his plate towards Carol, whose eyes were switching frantically between Beth and Dale, before turning to the young blonde woman. He was about to go to the hyperventilating woman when Walsh opened his mouth.

"Get a hold of your girl, Dixon. More important things to deal with right now."

"I'm gonna fuckin' drop you, you son-of-a—" Daryl had dropped his crossbow, momentarily distracted from Beth by the deputy's ignorance, and he geared up to start swinging on the man until he heard her speak.

"Mama's in the barn." She mumbled it but everyone heard her. Her words rang as a reminder to the group that Hershel's 'wife' was indeed Beth's mother. Everyone stared at the woman as she took a few trembling steps before taking off into the direction of the barn.

It only took a few seconds for Daryl to scoop his bow off of the ground before he and Shane hurried to follow her.

"Jesus H. Christ! Grab her before she opens it up!" Walsh shouted, pulling his handgun from its holster on his hip. He stopped his running when he was about fifteen feet away from the barns doors.

"Shit, Beth?" Daryl spoke as he caught up, his side twinging uncomfortably from all of the activity. He ignored it.

She stood directly in front of the barn's doors, her hands twitching towards the chained handles.

"Dixon, I will shoot her!"

"You fire that gun and you'll find yourself with a bolt in the appendix. Makes for a real painful death," was Daryl's slow yet deadly reply. The frown at Walsh's heavy brow line deepened even further but he said nothing in response. The hunter did notice that the ex-cop lowered his weapon a few notches.

He approached the blonde woman slowly, watching carefully as she placed her small hand onto the wooden doors at the exact moment that they started shaking.

Beth backed up from the barn's shaking large brown doors with a quickness, right into Daryl but it was as if he wasn't even there. She brought her hand up to her mouth, still in shock before taking off behind a stacked pile of firewood that was bigger than she was on the right side of the barn.

The rest of the group had finally made it to the barn but upon hearing snarls that they were well accustomed to, their attention was refocused. Those particular snarls weren't coming from the barn. Rick had returned with Hershel, Jimmy, and a pair of walkers on snare poles.

"What the hell?" Andrea breathed.

"You've gotta be shittin' me!" Walsh exclaimed running to where Rick and Hershel were, the limp in his gait made obvious.

Maggie and Patricia, having heard all of the commotion from their jobs around the house, came upon the scene.

"Beth! Beth, no!" Maggie yelled suddenly, her eyes wide and focused on the barn, but there was nothing that could be done. It was deafening, the loud clang and screech of metal against metal.

Daryl whirled around, his crossbow aimed. Beth was standing in front of the barn again, a large axe in her hands. For a split-second, Daryl wondered how she could even pick up the damn thing let alone swing it.

There was a cold silence other than the sound of snarls from the dead. Daryl lowered his bow only a hair.

"Beth," he breathed as he watched the damaged chain start to fall from the barn door's handles. The blonde wasn't moving. She made no indication that she'd heard him. Instead she dropped the axe, its heaviness causing dust and dirt to rise up in a quickly dissipating cloud.

"Don't do it, girl," Daryl spoke gruffly, his sharp eyes quick to notice her twitching fingertips as her arm rose to the door handles.

With a quickness that Daryl would have admired in a different situation, Beth pulled at the doors.

* * *

 **Note:**

 **You guys are truly amazing! Look at that, one review away from one hundred! Your response to the last chapter blew me away!**

 **This was a tough one and I may go back and edit it by adding in more details but I wanted to get it posted since I'm a couple weeks late here.**

 **If it seems like it's jumpy, that was intentional. I wanted it to read that people were looking this way and that. By far, one of my favorite scenes from the show as a whole was the barn scene. I wasn't even trying to live up to it haha. Instead, I wanted to show that Beth, while wise beyond her years, can still be an irrational person. Not completely naive, but certain situations that she should think through, she doesn't...thanks to the emotions that though put away, are not dealt with (I'm referring specifically to her suicide attempt and her death in the show. :/)**

 **Next: Sophia. Someone needs a drink.** **Things will be really dark, in regards to Beth, so have your guard up. It'll be mostly in her POV. I'll try to have it up sooner rather than later but I've found her to be so hard to write lately.**

 **Please let me know what you think of this one!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Damn it!" Daryl spat wrapping his arms around Beth's stomach, pulling her at least twenty feet away from the barn, the heels of her boots dragging. He didn't move his eyes away from the barn.

Daryl released her with a gruff "stay back" when the first walker stumbled out of the barn, not even noticing how she dropped to the ground. She was a mess, trapped in a stunned silence.

Beth drew her knees to her chest watching as the familiar people, now the undead, of her small town fell to their second deaths. The gun shots were loud but they barely registered as the blonde woman stared on. Her red-rimmed grey-blue eyes were wide with pain, in shock, as she waited for the inevitable; for her mama to stumble out.

And when Annette Greene's reanimated body made its way into the sunlight, Beth winced as the finality of it all rang loud and clear in her head. Or was that the gun shot that would permanently bring Annette down. Suddenly flashes of Amy's death and flashes of that little boy's death on the highway in Atlanta pushed her into the throes of panic. Was she truly being punished? Is this what the rest of her life would be like, watching those that she cared for die? Because she freaked out those months ago and tried to off herself before regretting that impulsive decision?

She couldn't breathe, the air thick with smoke, dust, and anguish as she pushed away her earlier, _eager_ , acceptance of her fate. She wouldn't be able to handle this, all of this feeling. She wanted to beg for God to take all of this pain away because it was just too fucking much. But every time she thought she was about to meet her end, she didn't.

Her mother's decayed body lay in front of her and it was her fault. She should've been home. Maybe she could've jumped in front of the the walker that took the bite out of her mama's neck…like Amy had done for her. If it weren't for her, Shawn would still be alive too. That little boy too.

She was biting her knuckles hard, attempting to get her breathing under control and to prevent the onslaught of tears that threatened to spill. What was it that her daddy had always said back when she'd tried to kill her self? Oh right.

"When you care about people, hurt is kind of the package," she mumbled to herself. Her voice seemed loud to her ears. The gunshots had ceased. Everyone was standing there, the aftershocks of all that had occurred in that small space of time resonating amongst them all.

Daryl turned his head, his eyes ablaze with anger, locking onto Beth's face almost instantly.

"What the fuck was that?" He snarled angrily, gesturing wildly towards the barn.

" _Holy shit_ ," Shane bit out. Daryl flicked his eyes over to Walsh to see that he and everyone else was focusing their gazes on the barn. He turned back around and soon found himself in the exact position as the others.

His _other_ reason for still hanging around the farm.

Sophia's small reanimated body was stumbling out of barn over the bodies that lay there.

"Sophia?!" Carol's harsh cry could be heard as she ran towards her daughter. Her cry was crushing, Lori and Carl were in tears. Beth bit into her knuckle so hard that she broke skin, the coppery taste of her blood invading her senses momentarily distracting her from thoughts of her mother .

As Carol neared the barn, Daryl reached out for her bringing them both down. Seconds later, they all watched as Rick, having steeled himself, trudged forward to do what needed to be done.

xxxxxxx

"What the hell you doin'?"

It'd only been thirty minutes since the barn was cleared of walkers. They were back in their tent and Beth was moving quickly to stuff her bag. Daryl sat on the unused cot, his shoulders slouched but his body tense.

"I'm leavin' before I get anyone else killed." She refused to see him die in front of her.

"The hell you talkin' bout," Daryl grumbled. He stared at her intensely watching as her shaky, slender hands took hold of her blanket, the one she'd stolen from him. He watched as she ran her hands along the fabric as if it were anything other than an old, ratty throw blanket.

Beth shrugged her shoulders before finally looking up. She nearly grimaced at the sight of him. He was covered in dirt and his flannel was sweat-soaked, as was his hair. Downcast, his narrow blue eyes were covered in the haze of exhaustion and something else. Guilt. She could see the pressure of guilt weighing his shoulders down.

"It wasn't your fault, Daryl," Beth spoke then, her voice barely above a whisper. Daryl looked away.

"She was in that damn barn this whole time," the man spoke shaking his head. He reached a hand up to swipe at the beads of sweat forming along by his brow..

"Must've been Otis," Beth sighed taking it all in. She just stood there in front of the archer, holding her open bag by the strap, not quite sure what she was doing. This was all a nightmare. A giant 'fuck you' sent from the powers-that-be.

There was a cold silence in the tent. Yes, things were usually quiet when it came to the pair but this time it was different, somber; the kind of quiet that made you clench your jaw shut to keep your teeth from chattering.

"I gotta go, Daryl," the blonde woman found herself saying softly. Her breath caught in her throat when Daryl whipped his eyes over to hers, his face stoic aside from the angry way that his jaw was set.

"Nah, you don't." His words were like gravel. If Beth wasn't set on leaving, she would've allowed them to bury her right there in that tent. But if there was one thing that the Greenes were, they were stubborn.

Shaking her head slowly, sadly, Beth stepped over to the cot to stand directly in front of him but he was looking down.

"Hey," Beth whispered. She stood there patiently as he worked something out in his head before finally lifting his head.

They stared at one another, narrow blues on large grey-blues before Daryl opened his mouth.

"Where you gonna go? You ain't goin' to last an hour out there by yourself," he berated coldly, almost cruel-like.

If there was one thing that Daryl knew about the small blonde woman from their time together, it was that she hated when people doubted her. Whenever that doubt presented itself she either reacted in one of two ways: she became saddened, never crying, by the lack of faith or she became bold with fists equally as tough.

Her family had doubted her ability to make it out of the city alive. She made it. Walsh had doubted her ability to make her own decisions earning himself a punch in the face those weeks ago.

Daryl was counting on her to react with sadness due to the fragile state that she was in from what they'd all just witnessed. He was counting on her to narrow those pretty blue eyes and tell him to shut the hell up while slapping him or punching him or whatever the hell else. She would settle down eventually and just sit down next to him on the cot or settle at his feet to rest her head on his knee. And that would be that.

But neither of those things happened. He hadn't expected her to stare at him with those large, stormy eyes of hers and a grim smile.

He certainly hadn't expected for her to hitch her bag up onto her shoulder and open her mouth to say, "I know," before turning on her booted heels and walking out of the tent.

Daryl sat there, not really sure what to do. It was as if she knew that he wouldn't, _couldn't,_ ask her to stay.

But he hadn't thought that she'd actually leave. That _she'd_ be the one to break their deal.

xxxxxxxx

Her home town was a sleepy one. This was even more evident without the normal bustle of the town's farmers market. Beth sat on a park bench located in the town's center soaking in the differences around her.

It was eerie. She hadn't seen one walker since she ventured into the town and she still had no clue why her feet had led her there. She glanced over at the old hair salon. She would always tag along with Annette when she'd go in to cover her greys and get her ends trimmed. Beth smiled at her memories, the familiar burn of tears in the corner of her eyes.

When the salon began to blur, she averted her gaze, her shiny blue eyes landing on the ranch-styled bar a few stores down.

She decided then that she needed a drink. Standing up, she made her way to the one store in the town that she'd never once been in.

Before she was born, her father had frequented the bar, nearly drowning himself in alcohol, but he'd stopped when that Annette with her shiny blonde hair had waltzed her way into town and never left.

Beth turned the handle on the door of the bar, almost surprised that it'd been so easy. Her knife was gripped tightly in her other hand. It was dusty inside, like the place hadn't even been cleaned too often when it was open. She quickly glanced around, making sure that there weren't any walkers around.

There weren't. She was surprised that she hadn't even seen one splatter of blood since she'd walked into town. Everyone had probably closed shop when the reports first started. With the church being the center of town, everyone had probably thought that Revelations was finally upon them all.

Beth scoffed at the thought, with a roll of her eyes before her eyes honed in on the liquor-lined shelving behind the bar. It had been a while since she'd had even a sip. Months before the hospital, even.

She placed her hands atop the dusty bar and hoisted herself up. She glanced down carefully to make sure nothing would grab her 'round the ankle before she lowered herself.

Pineapple flavored rum. Peach schnapps. Jack. Beth ran her fingers along the edge of the shelf, not too sure on what she wanted to drink. She wasn't even too sure what the hell she was doing there. Maybe she wanted to be drunk when he walkers finally bit into her. Would the tingling numb feeling of intoxication disguise the pain of gnashing teeth? Beth reached out to grab something…anything...but her hand froze mid-air at the sound of someone hollering.

"I thought I seen't somethin' o'er here!"

Gasping, Beth turned around quickly before ducking down beneath the bar.

* * *

 **notes** :

Sorry for taking so long! Life's been ridiculously busy lately. I keep thinking that I have our favorite couple moving too quickly before I realized that this is indeed a slow burn and may not be moving fast enough for some of you haha. Besides, every day in this world seems like a month when you're trying to stay alive. I may keep Team Family on the farm a lot longer than I originally intended because things were happy there but we'll see. My outline can go either way.

I've also been fixated on **thedevilyouknow106** 's "Fix" and "Fog on the Windows". They're written beautifully so go check those out. Both Bethyl fics!

Tell me what you think? Speculations?


	15. Chapter 15

**I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE IF THE FORMATTING IS WEIRD. I'm posting from my iPad right before I clock back in. I also apologize for how short and uneventful it is. I've been sitting on this chapter for way too long.**

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Chapter 15

He was snappish. Bitter. Sweaty. And covered in filth from helping discard the bodies and chicken carcasses from the barn and Maggie wouldn't keep her damn mouth shut. When he exited their—his—tent not too long after Beth had gone, the blonde's sister was there asking him question after question as he moved from cleaning out the barn to tending to the horses.

She couldn't find Beth and that was somehow his fault.

"Where the hell is my sister, Dixon? Just tell me!"

Daryl narrowed his eyes and pulled the bandanna, that he wore over his nose for protection against dust, down.

As if his frustration at the blonde's absence couldn't get any worse. He stared at the dark-haired woman before slamming the shovel he held into it's designated slot on the barn wall.

Maggie started, her mouth snapping closed.

"She ran off. Didn't want to be here no more," Daryl shrugged.

Maggie narrowed her own eyes and stepped forward angrily.

"What did you do?"

"What did I do?!" Daryl snapped, "What the fuck did y'all do? Keepin' your walker mama out in the barn like tomorrow's gonna be all sunshine and rainbows. Y'all think she was gon' wake up and bake y'all cookies or somethin'?"

Daryl huffed as Maggie grabbed her heart in shock, averting her wide-eyed gaze. He was already pissed that Beth had gone and left him here. He was pissed off at himself for not stopping her. And now he had to deal with her sister's nagging.

"What's the problem?" Questioned Rick as he approached the two swiftly.

"Bethy's gone," Maggie spoke, her voice coated with a certain thickness that only happened when one was trying to hold back tears.

Rick glanced up at Daryl. The other man's shoulders were raised, tense and he wore a look of pure agitation.

"Where'd she go?" Rick asked slowly, his eyes flicking back and forth between the two.

"I don't fuckin' know." Daryl responded with a huff.

"And you didn't go after her?!" Maggie exclaimed.

"The hell's I supposed to do? Drag her back and lock her in her room? Seems like that's the way things work around here, I guess," the archer bit out harshly.

"You don't know what the hell you're talkin' about," Maggie made to move forward but Rick cut her off.

"Hmm," Daryl paused to let out a sharp, yet bitter, laugh before continuing, "Ya'll locked that girl up in a hospital. And then you left her for dead. It's no wonder she can't stand to be around you."

With that, the archer made his way away from the two.

Rick glanced up at Maggie. He could nearly see the strained invisible strings that held her back from following Daryl as he made his way to the RV.

"I can't lose her again Rick."

"You didn't lose her, Maggie," Rick sighed, "Beth is strong-willed and does what she wants unless…otherwise restrained."

Maggie looked away as Rick shot her a knowing look. Her sagging shoulders prompted him to continue.

"She left because she wanted to. We can't change that. But you can't go around blaming Daryl for it. He didn't want her to leave. You can't tell me that you haven't seen the way he looks at her."

"Well, he can't look at her if she ain't here, Rick."

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Hershel sat at the head of his dining room table, hands folded beneath his chin as he frowned at Rick Grimes and his people as they argued about his youngest daughter after some prompting from his eldest.

"I say if she ran off on her own, just let her be," Shane spoke with a shrug of his shoulders, never one without an opinion.

"She isn't thinkin' straight. Y'all just put down Annette and Shawn for good. Ya'll saw her!" Maggie argued from her position closest to her father.

"Maggie, I understand that she's your sister but do we really want her around with how erratic she is?" Andrea questioned, her tone one of soft caution.

Maggie gripped the table cloth tightly, her green eyes narrow.

"Andrea, you haven't wanted her around since Amy's death. And it just isn't right of you to go around blaming her for it," Dale spoke then, saying what everyone thought. The room was silent and tension-filled once more, irritation brewing from both Maggie and Andrea.

"Daryl's goin' to go after her," Jimmy spoke up.

"He is?" questioned Carol.

Andrea scoffed directing her attention to Jimmy, "And you're alright with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be? He hasn't said that he's goin' after her but you can tell he's miserable."

"Dixon's been a miserable sack of shit since the quarry. We thought you was in love with Crazy," Shane snickered.

"I am," Jimmy paused, looking down before continuing, "But he cares about her more. I'm surprised it's taking him so damn long to get his sh-stuff together to go after her. But he's going, I can tell... and I respect that."

"CHH…he was gon put an arrow in your ass the other day for touching her hair," Shane laughed.

"Her hair?" Jimmy furrowed his brows before widening his eyes in realization, "Her hair got caught in the fencing and I was helping her free it. My gosh, y'all are some gossippin' folk."

"As lovely as it is, sitting here listening to y'all's Dr. Phil session, we need to figure out what we are goin' to do. This man here is kind enough to lend us his space while Carl heals. The least we could do is search for his girl. Hershel, do you want us to go find her?" Lori Grimes spoke up silencing the chatter around the table.

The old man lowered his clasped hands as the crowd waited expectedly.

"Beth will come back when she's ready. The fact that she made it here in the first place proved to me just how resilient that girl is. I can't have ya'll risking your lives to go after her."

Maggie slammed her hands down on the table angrily before rushing out of the room. Glenn followed.


End file.
